


Once Upon A Time

by Reila_Flowers



Category: Malice Mizer
Genre: Fairy Tale Elements, M/M, Magic, Romance, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-09-14
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:41:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 34,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24494446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reila_Flowers/pseuds/Reila_Flowers
Summary: His step-father was not wicked and his thrown had not been stolen. That was what Kami had believed ever since his father had died. Mana meant the best for him, even if that best was not always to Kami's taste. Mana wanted him to marry a prince or noble from a distant land but everyone Kami had met, were not up to his standards. Arrogant, prideful and vain, those were the men Mana choose for him and when Gackt came, at first Kami saw no difference. That was until he gave the prince a chance and found that whilst Gackt was arrogant and full of pride, he was smarter than he had given him credit for. With Gackt's presence in the castle and his life, Kami begins to question what he had once so strongly believed.
Relationships: Gackt/Kami (Malice Mizer)
Comments: 30
Kudos: 14





	1. Prologue

Once upon a time, there was a powerful king named Közi, who ruled with utmost compassion in everything that he did. King Közi was a wise man, who hadn’t always paid attention to his tutors as a kid but had grown up to be a well-loved ruler none the less. Everyone admired him but none loved him nearly as much as his beloved wife. She was a gentle woman, who spent many hours in the gardens admiring both the flowers and insects that she found there. She cared little that centipedes and spiders often made the women of her station scream in fright, if anything she found them more beautiful because they could bring fear. It was qualities like these that Közi admired greatly about her.   
His life was almost complete, there was just one thing missing, and so it was a great joy when the queen was able to give birth to a healthy boy. The son was named Kami and he grew up to be smart, kind and beautiful. He shared his mother’s love of the insects of the garden and was often found outside with her.   
One day a terrible accident occurred, taking the life of the queen and leaving her husband and son to carry on in their grief. Kami was only small and often went to his father, only to find the king had locked himself away in his rooms and would not come out for anyone. Not even his son.   
The days passed, becoming months and then years and still the king grieved. When he attended royal business, his smile was gone and so too had some of his compassion. He had not become cruel by any means, but he was quick to bring justice down on the wicked and the love the kingdom once had for him slowly began to fade.  
The king’s grief did not last forever. It ended with the visit of a man named Mana who entered the palace as if it had always been his home. His intention seemed to be to marry the king, and to Kami’s surprise his father seemed to fall madly in love. Faster than he would have believed, had he not witnessed it with his own eyes. With Mana as queen, the kingdom returned to the glory of its former days and Kami wondered if he was the only one left who still missed the former queen.   
With his king back to his former self, Kami was pleased to have his loving father back by the side. As a young man he was able to follow his father through many of his duties, in preparation for the day he would become king.   
The nature of life is that neither good or the bad times last forever and this was no exception. The king soon fell fatally ill and passed away quickly. Much to everybody’s surprised, it was Mana who claimed the thrown and any who challenged him were soon found dead. Kami was sure it was only his youth that had kept him alive, for at fifteen the queen didn’t see him as a threat to his power on his own. Foolishly Kami swore away his rights to power to his step-father, for like his father he too had loved Mana back then.   
It was only then that the full extent of Mana’s true personality was revealed. The new monarch was vain and selfish, caring little for anything other than his own power and happiness. He had a dark sway over the kingdom for despite his faults, the people loved him and at first Kami couldn’t see why. But the same power took over his heart and he too learned to accept Mana as if he was truly Mana’s son.   
The royal court was quickly replaced by Mana’s chosen few. Men who praised the monarch’s beauty and grace almost constantly. More than anyone else, these men adored Mana and would do anything to keep him happy. And just like that, all of Közi’s hard work had become undone and the memories of his rule over the land, began to fade within the peoples minds.


	2. Chapter 1: The Magic Mirror

The knock on Mana’s door was three quick taps followed by complete silence that let Mana know exactly who was on the other side. He smiled in pleasure at the idea of his royal advisor visiting him, for he truly did like this man.

“Come in.” Mana called, not getting up from the dressing table where he was brushing his hair. His personal servant had put it up in an elaborate style that he had liked just long enough to send her away, before changing his mind. He’d have to get her to come back, what a pain.

In the mirror Mana watched as K entered the room, carrying a package wrapped in shining blue paper and decorated with a silk bow. Intrigued by the gift, Mana placed the hairbrush down and turned to meet the gaze of his friend.

“I brought you a present.” K needlessly explained, as he gave Mana a bow that wasn’t quite respectful enough before a king. They both knew there would be no consequences for this action.

“You shouldn’t have, you’re too kind.” Mana said, allowing his happiness to be expressed in his features. They both knew how angry he would have been had K not brought a gift, how angry he would be if the gift displeased him. Even K had faced Mana’s wrath more than once.

“How could I just ignore your birthday?” K asked. “This most wonderful of days.”

“The most wonderful of days?” Mana asked. “Why do you find my birthday so special?”

“How could I not? It’s the day to celebrate your birth. Need I remind you how wonderful you are?” K asked.

“I think you do.” Mana answered. K always gave the most flattering of praise.

“You are as charming as a siren’s song, as beautiful as a butterflies wings, as rare as the most precious of gems,” K began to list. The butterfly was new and Mana frowned slightly at those words. The prince, Kami, he was obsessed with those insects, as had been his mother. He decided to let the slight error be forgotten. He had no ill will towards Kami, the boy was only a threat to his power by simply existing. That wasn’t his fault, Kami had never tried to take the thrown away from him.

“I am still beautiful, aren’t I?” Mana worried, as he turned his gaze back to the mirror.

“Yes, of course you are!” K answered, with an honesty that made Mana believe in his praise. “Don’t doubt such things. Instead of worrying, why don’t you open the present I gave you?”

“Well I do find it hard to resist a gift,” Mana said as he carefully opened the present from his advisor. Blue was his favourite colour, K had never once forgotten and since the day he had found out, every gift from K was decorated in paper like this. K was a thoughtful man and his gifts usually came from his heart and so Mana was surprised to find the gift did not appear to be something that he would want.

“It’s a mirror.” Mana said, not bothering to hide his disappointment. It was a beautiful hand mirror, made from silver with gemstones around the reflective pane of glass and a picture engraved in the back of butterflies flying around flowers. Mana knew the prince and his mother, the former queen, would have both loved such a gift. It made him want to smash it on the floor.

“I know, you hate insects,” K said apologetically. “And ordinarily I would stay well clear but that mirror, it’s magical.”

“A magic mirror?” Mana repeated. Suddenly his feelings towards the gift weren’t so negative. A gift like this, depending on it’s use, may just be a wonderful present after all. “What does it do?”

“It holds information about the world,” K explained. “It was made by a magician who travelled far and read book after book to the mirror. If you ask if a question and the mirror knows the answer, then it will always answer truthfully. I thought you might find is useful?” K finished, sounding a little doubtful. Perhaps Mana’s initial distaste had but the doubts in his mind? Mana liked to see K was nervous, he took it as a sign that his advisor truly cared that he was happy. Of course, like many of the council, it may have just been fear that had K so worried.

“Mirror, who is the most beautiful man in the world?” Mana asked the mirror, wondering how the inanimate object would respond.

“You are,” Responded Mana’s reflection without hesitation. “Of all the men I have seen recently, and would assume were alive, I have seen no man so graceful.” Mana smiled when he was told he was beautiful, the smile fading a little when the mirror continued its explanation. The men that it had seen recently? How many was that?

“What’s the matter?” K asked, seeing Mana’s doubts. “It answered truthfully, you are the most beautiful of men.”

“How many men has this mirror seen recently?” Mana asked, half expecting the mirror to answer but it remained silent.

“It was expensive and the market trader said he’d had it for a while before anyone could afford to purchase it. I’d think it was more than a few.” K said tactfully. Mana was sure that K didn’t actually know that the mirror had seen many men, but he decided not to push him for an answer he might not want to hear.

“Thank you K, this is a wonderful present,” Mana said as he placed the mirror on his dressing table. “Now will you find my servant, tell her that she needs to redo my hair.”

“Yes of course.” K said, giving Mana a bow before he left. If only all men were as agreeable as K, life certainly would be easier.

Kami was stood by the window when his step-father entered the room. He had been hoping that the clouds above would not bring rain so that he could spend the day outside but at the moment, he wasn’t so sure that would be the case. The weather was like Mana in that regard. It was true that his step-father had never been cruel to him. After he lost his father and Mana took over the kingdom, Mana had continued to treat him like his son. Yet the older Kami got, the more he wondered if signing away his rights had been the right thing to do. He didn’t want the throne for himself but there were whisperings that Mana was not a good fit for the role.

“Happy Birthday!” Kami said with a smile, as he went to take his place at the breakfast table besides Mana.

“Thank you,” Mana said politely. “Do I look old to you?”

“No, you look as young as you always have.” Kami responded and it was the truth. Since the day Mana had entered the castle, he didn’t appear to have aged a day. By this point, a stranger might think of Mana as his brother, for they didn’t look too far apart in age. It was one of the eery things about the monarch that had started to make Kami had doubts.

“Such a sweet boy, you flatter me so,” Mana responded, pleased by Kami’s words. “Though I’ve been thinking, with these passing years, perhaps I shouldn’t treat you as a boy anymore.”

“What do you mean?” Kami asked, clearly confused. A voice in his head warned him to be careful. Now he was a man, perhaps Mana finally saw him as a threat to his power. Kami had thoughts of the throne but he had never tried to usurp Mana or spoken of such things.

“It is time, I should think, that you looked into marrying a handsome prince.” Mana answered.

“Father!” Kami complained. “How many times must I tell you? If I must marry, it will be to a princess!”

“You’re being silly. Are you trying to upset me on my birthday?” Mana gently scolded Kami. “You are a gentle man and deserve a strong man to care for you. Like I had your father, you too will have a good man to love you.”

“I don’t need to be looked after!” Kami protested. “I am quite capable of doing that myself. I will care for my wife and our children, that has always been my dream.”

“Your Highness, you’re causing Mana great distress with this rebellion,” The royal advisor spoke up. “And on his birthday of all days.”

“Mana brought up this subject, even knowing how I feel!” Kami protested. Really, just because Mana liked the company of men didn’t mean it was what he wanted. “I don’t mean to upset you though.”

“Good!” Mana said. “Then you will give the prince I have found you a fair chance to win your heart.”

He’d been tricked, Kami realised, it wasn’t the first time Mana had manipulated him like this. He never should have been honest with his step-father and admitted that he could be attracted to both genders. The sceptical part of him wondered if Mana wanted him with a man, so that he would not have the children he desired.

“Yes father.” Kami said obediently. Mana smiled, delighted to be getting his own way. It was his birthday, Kami rationalised, and he didn’t have to like this man that Mana had found for him. He’d be polite with him, show him around the gardens perhaps, treat him as he would any other guest and then he could go back to living his life as he wished.

“Consider this your birthday gift to me.” Mana said, his point quite clear.

“But I already have a gift for you, I was planning to give it you after breakfast.” Kami reassured him. It was enough to keep Mana happy, at least for now.

“He’ll be arriving in a few hours,” Mana informed Kami toward the end of the meal. “You will need to look your best for him, so go and get changed.”

“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing now?” Kami asked but when Mana asked for something, you couldn’t change his mind. There was no point even trying to debate on this and so Kami quickly gave in and agreed to change. The happy mood he had woken up with was already starting to waver. Silently he prayed that the man Mana had chosen was at least tolerable but there were no guarantees of him being even that.

Perhaps it was a political match, Kami realised as he opened the wardrobe doors to pick out some new clothes. If that was the case, it would explain why the clothes he was wearing now would not be suitable. He always dressed well but his fashion sense did lean heavily towards comfort. A knock on the door broke him from his thoughts and with a heavy heart he saw that it was Mana’s personal servant that had entered.

“Your highness, I have been asked to help you pick out an outfit for today.” She said with a curtsy. Of course she had. Resisting the temptation to be angry with her, Kami stepped back and let the girl complete the task she had been given. And so, just as the throne had been stolen by Mana’s manipulation, so too had his plans for the day.


	3. Chapter 2: The Foreign Prince

Kami was expecting the worse as he entered the throne room to meet Mana’s guest, the man he had agreed to show around the castle. This wasn’t the first love match Mana had attempted and he was doubtful that this man would be any better than any of the others. Every man so far had been beautiful, in their own unique ways, but each one was just as vain as the monarch who had asked them to visit the kingdom. The vanity usually came with arrogance, or a personally so terribly dull that Kami struggled to accept there was conscious thought beneath the surface. Every time he rejected such men, he was accused of being picky and judgemental but the truth was, even a nice man wouldn’t be enough to make him give up on his dream of children.

The worst part was that after the men had left, Kami would be scolded for not behaving like these men. He’d be mocked for his gentle nature and his kindness, which in Mana’s eyes was naivety. His worst crime, by Mana’s evaluation, was that he simply didn’t care enough about his appearance. Kami disagreed with that last one the most. He did care to present himself well, he took time brushing his long hair every day and liked to exercise to stay fit but when it came to clothing, that was where he had most likely fallen short.

Today’s prince was a man of a similar height to his own, above average in this kingdom but not so much so that you would consider him tall. His hair was dark and worn long but tied back out of the way, which drew the eyes to his deep blue eyes. They were the kind of eyes a man, or woman, could become lost in but Kami was already sure that this prince already knew that was to be the case. Any hopes that this man might be different had already faded away. When did Mana ever listen to what he wanted anyway? The more beautiful the man, the more arrogant they usually were and this man was one of the most beautiful to date.

“It is my honour to be in your presence, prince Kamimura,” The man said with a bow that suggested that he considered himself to be of a similar station. Another prince, or a sign of his arrogance already showing? “I am Prince Camui of Arnania but a man as charming as you, you can call me Gackt.”

“It’s an honour to meet you,” Kami said without thought, such greetings were second nature to him. He bowed as low as Gackt had, for they were in fact of the same station. “You can call me Kami if you like?”

“Prince Camui is said to be an excellent horseman. I have told him that you will be happy to go for a ride with him.” Mana said, as if Kami had a choice on the matter. The day’s activity had already been decided.

“I am quite fond of the horses.” Kami admitted, which wasn’t a lie. He loved all animals and whilst horse riding wasn’t his preferred past time, it was still something he did enjoy to do. For a second he wondered if perhaps Gackt was an animal lover too but he pushed the thought aside as irrelevant. Gackt began to discuss his hobby with obvious pride in his abilities. Arrogant, egotistical and a show off; These were the traits Kami had already labelled the other with.

“You do want to ride, don’t you?” Gackt asked, with genuine concern. It was so unexpected that it took Kami off guard.

“Yes, I don’t mind at all,” Kami reassured him. With those blue eyes looking so intently at him, with such obvious concern that Kami may not be pleased by the plans, Kami wondered for the first time if he had judged the other too quickly. Was this kindness the other was displaying? It was so unexpected that Kami didn’t know how to react. His heart rate quickened as he allowed himself to admire the other’s beautiful face in a more honest manner but he quickly hardened his resolve. Perhaps Gackt was kind, that didn’t make him any less arrogant, or mean that he had more than then simplest of thoughts in his head. “I’ll show you to the stables. If we are finished here?” He quickly added, realising that he hadn’t asked Mana’s permission to leave.

“I’ll leave the two of you to get to know each other.” Mana said, giving Gackt a look that Kami knew well. Mana liked Gackt a lot, so much so that it may have been hard for him to let the prince leave with somebody else.

His time with Gackt has been surprising, in that it hadn’t been unpleasant. The questions Gackt asked about the kingdom seemed to speak of an intelligence Kami hadn’t given him credit for and whilst Gackt was arrogant, there was no denying that, this arrogance didn’t lead him to put other people down. It was hard to get a proper measure on the prince though, as his words and actions were always quite formal. He behaved as a prince should act and never swayed from the path. His real personality remained hidden and despite his intentions, Kami found himself growing intrigued to learn just what kind of man Gackt was. He was different to the others, that much was obvious.

“Kami, I need to confess something,” Gackt said as they rode at a leisurely place towards the castle. “I don’t know how much you were made aware of this, but I am here as a political match. My mother made me come and honestly, I had no intentions of actually dating you. You’re a sweet man, I didn’t want you to end up getting hurt by thinking this was something different.”

“Well I’m only here because my father forced me as well.” Kami answered. He tried to hide it, but he was hurt by Gackt’s words. He realised this was the first time a man had rejected him before he had rejected them. It hurt, even if their intentions had been the same.

“Didn’t fall for my charms then?” Gackt asked, right now Gackt was being his honest self. Perhaps for the first time since they met, he was getting a glimpse of who Gackt truly was.

“Well you’re better than the others,” Kami said. “Mana’s taste in men, it’s lacking. Except my father, I don’t see any of his preferable men in a favourable light. You’re the first one I don’t actually dislike. You’re not so bad.”

“I feel that may just be high praise,” Gackt said. “I saw the way you looked at me when we first met. You had already decided to hate me. I never had a chance with you, did I?”

“No,” Kami admitted. Any other answer Gackt would have seen as a lie. The foreign prince was more perspective than Kami had given him credit for. “For me, I can choose the gender of my partner and my dream has always been to have a family. I want children more than anything and so even if you were perfect, there wouldn’t have been a chance for you, I don’t think.”

“Doesn’t your father know this?” Gackt asked, clearly surprised.

“Step-father, and he knows, he just doesn’t care.” Kami said, unable to keep the bitter tone from his voice. In the silence that followed, he glanced over at Gackt who was looking at him with pity. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“It just seems so unbelievably cruel for him to ignore your wishes like that. Not just to you, but to everyone he brings to meet you who couldn’t meet your needs,” Gackt explained. “But I suppose, I shouldn’t be so surprised.”

“You’re not surprised?” Kami asked. “Why not?”

“Well everyone knows about The Tyrant King who stole his throne,” Gackt answered. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“The Tyrant King? Is that what the other kingdoms think of him?” Kami asked.

“Are you offended by that?” Gackt asked. “I’m sorry, I misspoke which isn’t like me. Insulting another royal to his own family. Forgive me?”

“I’m not offended, just shocked. Why do people call him that?” Kami asked.

“You honestly have no idea?” Gackt asked. “For a start, isn’t the kingdom of Balourin rightfully yours? You are the son of the former king. Mana was just the old king’s spouse.”

“I was too young to rule, so I signed my thrown over to him.” Kami explained.

“Right,” Gackt said. “Too young to rule but old enough to throw it all away? Perhaps you were old enough, perhaps you never wanted it, but that’s not what it looks like to my people.”

“Mana has ruled fairly…” Kami began, becoming doubtful when he was the look Gackt was giving him. “Doesn’t he?”

“The poor are starving, or fleeing to other lands,” Gackt explained. “Your kingdom has unfairly invaded two others to add to their land, there’s rumours of a dark magic curse over the castle and your capital. My family fears your kingdom so much that he sent me here to form political ties but I won’t do it. I won’t sell myself to a man like him.”

“I’ve never heard of any of this!” Kami exclaimed. “Why are you telling me? Who’s to say that I won’t go straight to Mana and tell him everything?”

“Because you asked. It’s all rumours, perhaps the things I was taught are all wrong?” Gackt answered. “With your permission, I’d like to stay here a little longer but to do that, we need to pretend that this date is going as our parents hoped. Would you tolerate my company for a while?”

“And now you want to stay?” Kami asked. “You were only recently telling me how this wasn’t going to work and that you didn’t want to be here.”

“Did I?” Gackt asked. “I suppose I did but that was before I saw this glimpse at your real self. You’re not a puppet of your king, I know that now. I don’t see wickedness in your heart either, another surprise. You don’t want to date me, fine, but right now I do find myself wanting to become your friend.”

“You want to spy, that’s what you’re really here for, isn’t it?” Kami accused. “You were going to date me as your cover but that failed when you decided you didn’t want to hurt me.”

“I wouldn’t go as far as to say I want to spy,” Gackt said. “But yes, I am curious about what life in your kingdom is like. I want to see if there’s truth in the rumours or if what you’re saying is correct.”

“And if you find Mana to be as wicked as you say?” Kami challenged. “What then?”

“I’d convince the prince to take back his thrown,” Gackt responded confidentially. “I may just do that anyway. That thrown was stolen from you and you deserve to be the king here. I have no doubts.”

“Careful, those words are treacherous and he will have your head for them. Prince or not,” Kami warned. “Mine too. I’m safe here because I’m not a threat. I’ve always known that.”

“Are you sure that’s not the reason you didn’t claim your throne?” Gackt asked. It was a question that now put upon him, Kami couldn’t actually answer.

“You can stay here, for a while,” Kami answered, ignoring the question entirely. He knew Gackt would see an answer in his refusal to answer but there was a small part of him that wanted Gackt to take note of his feelings. “As my friend. I could never date a man like you.”

“The loyal son of an evil king doesn’t want me?” Gackt asked. “How awful. How do I ever go on?”

“I expected someone dumb, arrogant and vain when I came to meet you,” Kami retorted. “You have one of those qualities in abundance, the other not so much and the third I have yet to decide.”

“And which one of these traits do I possess?” Gackt asked.

“Figure it out for yourself.” Kami answered, encouraging his horse ahead of Gackt’s so the other couldn’t challenge him for an answer straight away. When Gackt returned to his side, he was smiling.

“This quality I have in abundance, you have it too.” Gackt informed him. It took Kami a moment to wonder what quality Gackt had decided he had been accused of. Arrogant, that’s what he meant, was Gackt saying he was too? He supposed he had seen himself as above every man that Mana had brought to him. Each one not up to his standards. His arrogance was in his judgment, though he still deemed his judgement of these men to be correct.

“Do I?” Kami asked. “Well then, we’ll be stupid together.”

“Stupid?” Gackt repeated. “Saying that is the only stupid thing you’ve done. Though it may be true that you’re questioning my intelligence. I am the fool who came to this kingdom, insulted the royals and made the prince believe I was just a spy.”

“That would be a foolish thing to do,” Kami couldn’t help but agree. “But that’s the one quality I’m becoming ever convinced that you are not.”

“Not stupid, is that you’re only compliment?” Gackt asked. “I’ve called you both sweet and smart.”

“You’re good on horseback.” Kami responded. “And that’s the only other positive thing I’m going to say.”

“I’ll take it.” Gackt said and with that, much to Kami’s surprise, he realised that they were starting to become friends.


	4. Chapter 3: A Birthday Dinner

“You really have pleased me,” Mana said when Kami gave his report on his time with Gackt. “You’re not lying to me, are you?”

“I’m not lying,” Kami reassured him. “I gave him a chance and he wanted to stay around, even though I did tell him my only intention was to become friends.”

“I see,” Mana said thoughtfully. “I suppose love takes time, doesn’t it?”

“I don’t need to marry Gackt to form a political alliance.” Kami reminded Mana, who gave him a rather disbelieving look.

“That’s part of it but most of all, I want you to be happy.” Mana said. It was something Kami had heard before, so he turned out Mana’s lecture as he wondered if Mana’s true desire was to keep away any threats to his throne. Gackt truly saw Mana as evil and when he had looked into things, he had found that the kingdom really had conquered two smaller ones. How had he not been aware of this? He had been sure Mana loved him as a son but when he pushed the idea further, he couldn’t think of a single time Mana had been truly compassionate. The veil that had been over his eyes was beginning to be lifted and he had to revaluate everything. Mana was right, love took time. Why then had his father married Mana so quickly? Had Mana arranged for his demise? It was a horrifying thought but it was true that Mana had only been queen a few months before his father had become sick. Poison or magic? Surely Mana wouldn’t be so wicked to use either means. Right?

“Will Gackt be joining us at dinner?” Kami asked, once Mana was done.

“Of course he will, he’s a visiting prince from Arnania, you know the routine,” Mana said, perhaps wondering why Kami had felt the need to ask. “He travelled here with just a couple of his guards so there will be no issue with arranging him to have the seat beside yours. In fact, you know I insist on it.”

“Yes, of course, that’s how it’s always been.” Kami agreed. Despite Mana’s condescending tone, he was quite pleased to hear that this visit would be no different to all the others. Making his excuses, he went to wash not wanting to attend dinner still smelling of horses.

He took his time in the bath, soaking until the water began to grow cold, before finally getting out with newly washed hair and a smile. He knew at dinner he wouldn’t see the real Gackt, he would be back to his role as the perfect prince, but knowing what kind of man hid behind the political charm made him more than content.

He was nervous as he entered the dining hall that evening, which wasn’t like him at all. He was shy in groups of strangers but this was just a meal with people he ate with all the time. The only variable was the prince, who was already sat at the place beside his own and two unfamiliar guards sat towards the back of the room. From their uniform, which bore the symbol of a black raven against a dark red background, he knew these must be the men who had accompanied the prince here.

Dinner was always so formal, a performance to boost Mana’s ego, which was why he hadn’t dared be even a minute late. He sat down beside Gackt and the prince gave him a rather formal greeting. The man Kami had been speaking to earlier in the day was hidden behind this mask of nobility and he began to wonder if he had only imagined the warmth from before.

“You smell like you wash in lemons.” Gackt commented. It caught Kami by surprise, he used so little of the lemon juice that it shouldn’t be noticed at all.

“I use lemon juice when I wash my hair,” Kami confessed. “It’s supposed to help keep it strong and healthy.”

“It’s working then,” Gackt answered, “Your hair is beautiful and you smell good enough to eat.”

“Well dinner will be served shortly.” Kami retorted, a little uncomfortable from Gackt’s words. It hadn’t been a sexual comment, he was sure Gackt wasn’t flirting but there had been hunger in his eyes. Of course he was hungry, the prince had travelled here and gone riding with him. Had he even had lunch? Surely Gackt wouldn’t have missed a meal.

A man named Juka entered the room, breaking Kami from his thoughts. Juka was one of Mana’s loyal followers and was in charge of arranging royal events. He’d forgotten it was Mana’s birthday and rather forlornly he sat back and let the long rambling speech wash over him. He couldn’t complain, Mana was only a few chairs away with only the royal advisor between the monarch and the prince.

When Juka finished, the orchestra started to perform. Of course this had to be the traditional birthday anthem, which they had no choice but to sit through before they could eat. Once this was over, Juka formerly announced Gackt’s presence and finally the first course could be served. Through it all Gackt had said nothing, his expression perfectly blank. Kami wondered what the other must have thought of all that. The birthday speech had been nothing but a list of praise for the king.

“There’s going to be a ball later,” Kami explained. “Did you want to attend?”

“Do you want me to?” Gackt asked, a question that had Mana’s gaze on both of them. He had been pretending not to be paying attention to them but Kami hadn’t been fooled for an instance.

“I’ll be attending.” Kami said. He had no choice on that matter and was dreading the event.

“Then I will accompany you,” Gackt said. “Is that not the reason I came here?”

“You don’t need to feel forced to come,” Kami said but Gackt insisted and he honestly did want the other’s company. “After dinner there’s a couple of hours free before the ball starts. If you don’t need to get ready, would you like me to show you the indoor gardens?”

“I’ll be honoured to.” Gackt said formally. It was impossible to tell if he wanted to come or was just being polite but at least he had agreed. As pleased as Kami was, Mana was positively glowing in his delight. Did he see this as a blossoming love? Kami had simply wanted to find somewhere private to talk to Gackt alone.

“I’m sorry that dinner dragged on so long,” Kami apologised. “Mana likes to be praised and on his birthday he’s even worse.”

“He was watching us like a cat waiting to pounce,” Gackt complained, his formal tone all but gone now that they were alone. “Why is he so invested in us being together? Does he really see my country as so important?”

“I’m not so sure that’s the reason,” Kami admitted. “I used to believe it was because he wanted me to be happy but I’ve begun to have doubts. What you say about him, they make me question things even more.”

“It’s not wrong to have doubts,” Gackt answered. “You should question things.”

“Perhaps,” Kami said vaguely. “But he has been good to me. When I lost my father, he took me in and has treated me well. I feel guilty for doubting him. What if he just wants me to be happy?”

“He’s your step-father, I hardly know him.” Gackt said. The wall had gone back up and he was getting nothing but that diplomatic answer. Taking the hint, Kami turned his attention to showing Gackt around the indoor gardens and then leading him into the butterfly house that had been built to join against the gardens. This was his favourite place in the whole castle and he couldn’t hide his enthusiasm.

“This is my special place, where I go when I need some time to myself,” Kami confessed as he took a seat to watch the butterflies. “Sometimes I sit here and just watch the butterflies, other times I go into the staff room over there to get real peace. The staff know who I am of course, they know when to leave me alone and when I’m happy to chat with them. Mana gets so mad if he finds I’ve been here too long. If he had his way, I don’t think this butterfly house or the indoor gardens would still be standing.”

“He keeps them here for you?” Gackt asked.

“I think so,” Kami said. “He’s not so bad. Really. I’m sure he wants me to be happy. Perhaps he just has no idea what to look for in a woman. Not that he’s any better with a man.”

“Arrogant, stupid, vain,” Gackt listed. “Should I be offended I was asked to come here?”

“You’re just one of those things,” Kami reminded him. “And I owe you a compliment, in return to the one you gave me at dinner. Let’s see… If you were to be vain, those blue eyes of yours are most likely what you admire most.”

“My blue eyes?” Gackt asked. “Not my lips that entice people to me. Just the sight of them makes people want to kiss me and then they want to be in my arms.”

“Not me!” Kami retorted. “They do no such thing.”

“You’re lying.” Gackt accused. For a moment Kami thought the foreign prince was actually going to force a kiss upon him but the other only turned his gaze away. Moments later he was asking about the butterflies and whatever moment they had shared between them, had now passed.

Mana sat in the council room where the royal advisor was waiting for him. Mana was late to their private meeting but K treated him as if he was early. He took his seat at the head of the table and quietly chanted a few words that would ensure that their conversation could not be overheard.

“Any news?” Mana asked, giving K a chance to report anything going on that he should be made aware of before dealing with the matter at hand.

“Most people are talking about the two princes,” K answered. “Our spy master has found nothing to be concerned about when it comes to the kingdom.”

“What are they saying about Prince Camui?” Mana asked.

“They admire his good lucks and charm,” K answered. “And wonder what it is about him that makes even Prince Kami take notice.”

“Yes, I wonder about that last part as well,” Mana said thoughtfully. “Prince Camui is such a good politician, I can never tell what he really means with his words. The only time he shows emotion, is with Kami. Does Kami return his interest, or is he trying to please me?”

“The prince seems genuine in his interest,” K answered. “You know what Prince Kami can be like.”

“Yes, stubborn and impossible to handle,” Mana said. “Is it love?”

“There was a moment in the butterfly house that could have been a sign of affection but from what has been gathered so far, they show only friendship,” K explained. “But they’ve spent time together every day this week.”

“Are they plotting something?” Mana asked. “I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he was corrupting our dear prince’s mind. Kami is easy to influence.”

“Half of the time they’re riding horses and even our best spies can’t get close enough to tell what is being said,” K said, knowing Mana wouldn’t like his answer. “But there has been no evidence of any plotting.”

“Next time get me a mirror that knows things it has not yet seen,” Mana complained and instantly K began to apologise. With a scowl Mana wondered about the two princes. Would pushing them together, or tearing them apart, be in his best interest?

“Stop grovelling, it’s unsightly,” Mana scolded K. “We will continue with the plan for now.”

“Shall we interfere?” K wondered out loud.

“No, not yet, let’s just see where this relationship they share leads.” Mana answered. “It’ll be easier if they fall in love on their own.”

“Yes, your highness,” K said as he bowed low. “I’ll keep you updated should anything change.”


	5. Chapter 4: Growing Concerns

The door shut behind him and the first tears began to fall. He collapsed in the only chair within the small staff room and began to openly sob. The butterfly house usually brought him peace but not today, not after the argument he’d just had. Things had been going so well with Gackt, a true friendship had developed over the last few weeks but that wasn’t enough for his father. Why was it not enough?

He heard footsteps outside and saw the door opening but ignored it. The moment whoever was on the other side saw him here, they would leave straight away however this person didn’t. Instead the door shut behind them and whoever had entered came to rest their hand on his shoulder. Looking up, Kami saw Gackt’s concerned expression and it made him cry all the harder.

“I saw you run past in tears, you didn’t even see me,” Gackt commented. “I remembered you said this was where you came when you were upset. So I thought… Should I leave?”

“No,” Kami said, clinging to Gackt’s arm. “Don’t go.”

“I’ll stay.” Gackt said, much to Kami’s relief. He did more than that, embracing the crying prince without a word, his very presence comforting. Gackt waited until the tears had stopped before asking what was wrong. Kami appreciated that.

“I can’t tell you.” Kami answered, the tears threatening to well up again.

“Sure you can, I won’t tell anybody. I promise.” Gackt said.

“I had an argument with my step-father but it’s private, I can’t tell you.”

“Why, was it about me?” Gackt joked, his playful smile faltering as he realised that it really was. “What is it?”

“He’s not happy with us,” Kami said. “Because he wanted us to be more than friends. At first it sounded like he was after political ties, so I told him our friendship was enough and it sent him into a rage. I’ve never seen him so angry. He told me that he’d force us to marry, regardless of how I felt.”

“He can’t do that.” Gackt said stubbornly.

“He can, I’m sure of it,” Kami said. “My father never once showed interest in men, not until Mana came here. I think my step-father has an unholy power to control those around him to do his bidding. Is that crazy?”

“You’re accusing the king of witchcraft?” Gackt asked. He didn’t seem surprised.

“Yes,” Kami answered. “I’m scared of his power. Scared of what he did to my father. What you said about him being a tyrant, I think there’s some truth in those rumours but the people around him love him and nobody else is close enough to really see him for what he is. It’s hard to get any information about him and I think the fact I was trying was brought to his attention.”

“So his response is to marry you off and send you away,” Gackt finished. “If you were a prince of my kingdom, then the claim to your throne would weaken.”  
“I have no claim, I signed those rights away.” Kami reminded him. He gave Gackt a look that he hoped the other would see as a warning to not continue such discussions here.

“It wouldn’t be the worst thing for you to come to my Arnania with me,” Gackt said thoughtfully. “You don’t seem convinced?”

“I’ve heard stories about your home,” Kami confessed. “I’m sure it’s just rumours but they say it’s a land of monsters. That nobody there is truly human and that even the royal family, even you, have demon blood,” His confession made Gackt laugh, which made him feel relieved. “Of course, they’re just stories.”

“Every kingdom is full of monsters,” Gackt explained. “By which I mean the humans that have lost their humanity and grown cruel. Perhaps some were never human to begin with.”

“Well yes, but from your kingdoms, the monsters aren’t so human,” Kami replied. “Or so the stories go anyway.”

“And these monsters, they were what brought you to tears at the thought of having to marry me?” Gackt asked. “Even if my kingdom had agreed to such a match, which they might, and we were forced to marry you think I would make that hell for you? If there was no love, the marriage would be name only.”

“But I couldn’t have legitimate children,” Kami reminded him. “But no, that’s not why I was crying… I feel like riding horses, do you?”

“I think I just might.” Gackt answered, intelligent enough to realise that Kami wasn’t changing the subject, he just wanted to ensure privacy.

“When you came to visit me, did anybody follow?” Kami asked. The staff room was secluded and they had been speaking quietly, but it didn’t mean they hadn’t been overheard. If that was the case, well then, he had already said too much.

“No,” Gackt replied. “Nobody entered the gardens after me, or followed me into the butterfly house. Unless the spy had magical means, we were not overheard.

“You sound sure?” Kami said, surprised by Gackt’s certainty that he wasn’t followed.

“I have good hearing,” Gackt said casually. “Mana threatened you, didn’t he?”

“Yes,” Kami said. “He scared me and I don’t want to talk about that.”

“You brought me out here just to spend time with the horses?” Gackt said, it was obvious that he didn’t believe that was the case.

“No, I just needed to get away from the castle,” Kami said, nervously glancing at Gackt as he wondered if he could say what was on his mind. “And seeing Mana like that today, it reminded me of the things you’ve told me about his rule. I believe you. I believe he’s a tyrant and the more I think on it… He took my father’s throne when I was too young to realise what was happening. Whenever he’s been nice, he had motives of his own or was perhaps just trying to prevent me from objecting to his power. I object now. I want my throne. The people deserve it.”

“The castle is fully of dark magic, you won’t find allies there,” Gackt warned. “Not with his magic keeping them loyal. The nobles in your kingdom will not become your allies, they’re either loyal by their own means or bewitched.”

“How do we break the spell?” Kami asked. “Can it be done?”

“Usually it takes the spell caster to remove it themselves, or for the spell caster to die,” Gackt answered. “You will need an army to defeat him. An army my kingdom is building as we speak.”  
“You were planning an attack all along!” Kami realised. “I thought it was weird that the heir of a throne would be here.”

“Heir to a throne?” Gackt asked. “That would be my sister.”

“Right, your sister,” Kami said. It wasn’t how things were done in his kingdom but he was too distracted to question things. He’d accused Gackt of being here as a spy before but hadn’t really believed it. Gackt had confessed because he trusted him. Just like he had trusted Gackt enough to discuss his plans for claiming his own throne. He thought about what Gackt was saying and had to agree that it would be hard to build an army here. Especially not with Mana watching. Perhaps Mana had always been waiting for the day he would become a threat? It was ironic then that his attempts to send Kami away, would make things easier for Kami to overthrow him. “I think it might be best for me to go with you to your kingdom for now, so I can have time to think things through properly.”

“Of course,” Gackt agreed. “My kingdom is different to yours but you’ll be safer there. I promise.”

“I believe you.” Kami replied. With the way Mana had been threatening him he just knew that it wouldn’t be too much of a surprise that he would want to go away for a while. He could pretend that he wanted to meet Gackt’s family before making the commitment. Mana might think he was only buying time and in a way he was but that shouldn’t be a problem. He had no plans to kill his step-father but he had to defeat him to get the witch to release his magical hold. Assuming that would be enough.

“Mirror, am I still the most beautiful?” Mana asked the mirror yet again. He just loved to see his reflection confirm what he already knew. Behind him the spy master, Tohru, was sat waiting patiently for him to finish.

“You are the most beautiful man I have seen.” The mirror said. Was he imagining it, or was even the mirror getting bored of being asked this question?

“I’m not surprised, I’m the only new man that mirror has seen,” Tohru commented, when Mana turned to gloat at him. “I do wonder, how many men has the mirror seen?”

“Are you questioning that I’m not the most beautiful?” Mana demanded.

“No, just that beauty is subjective,” Tohru answered. “What one person thinks is beauty, another might think of as something else.”

“Nonsense,” Mana replied. “This mirror is the truth. Mirror, how many men have you seen who are still alive?”

“Thirty-seven.” Came the answer that broke Mana’s smile. Thirty-seven wasn’t enough of a sample size. “Tohru, take this mirror and show it as many men as you can!”

“Of course,” Tohru agreed without question. He was quick to obey but slow to flatter, it was good enough for Mana but far from ideal. “Now we have settled this matter, you called for me?”

“Yes, I need to know what is going on with Kami,” Mana explained. “I accept that when they’re out of the castle it’s hard for your men to follow him, but he was in the castle after I broke the news of his marriage and nobody can tell me how he reacted!”

“He was upset,” Tohru reminded him. “He ran to the butterfly gardens, as he likes to do, and my spy left him to cry alone.”

“Gackt was in there!” Mana snapped. “Your spy failed me! Were there not eyes on him?”

“There was but…” Tohru began. “It’s strange, he was in the library and went behind a book shelf. When my spy caught up, there was no sign Gackt had been there at all. We checked for exits and found nothing but books and dust. It’s a mystery how he left without us knowing.”

“Impossible! He has no magic!” Mana screamed at Tohru. “I would have sensed it. Your spy is lying. He has failed me and you have failed me to, for trusting in a fool.”

“I’m sorry!” Tohru said, bowing low to the floor as Mana released his temper. His spy hadn’t been lying but there was no point arguing when Mana was like this. He let Mana scream at him as he wondered how Gackt had done it. The only way out was a tiny window that even a child couldn’t have fit through and even if they had, they were two floors up. Perhaps Gackt did have magic, magic Mana couldn’t sense, but that to seemed impossible. How had Gackt done it then? As confused as ever, Tohru waited to be dismissed and hurried to the library with the mirror in hand. He showed the mirror the room and then asked the one question he needed to know.

“Mirror, is there a secret exit to this room?” Tohru asked.

“There are exactly no secrets in this room.” The mirror responded. Tohru wondered if that was correct but he had no reason not to believe it. The mirror had only confirmed what he already knew.

“What’s that?” Kami asked, making Tohru jump. The prince had spent a lot of time in this room of late and he’d been careless and hadn’t checked to make sure he was alone.

“It’s Mana’s magic mirror, a birthday gift,” Tohru explained. “Once it’s seen something, it knows the truth of that object. I’ve been checking the castle for secret passages.”

“Let me know if you find any!” Kami said with honest enthusiasm. He seemed happier than before, it seemed Gackt had calmed him down. “Though that may have to wait a little while. I’m visiting Gackt’s home, so I’ll be gone for a while. That’s why I thought I better return these books.”

“Has Mana authorised this?” Tohru asked.

“Not yet but it’s what he wanted. I wouldn’t think he’d say no.” Kami said. He smiled once more before excusing himself and leaving the room. He’d be safer out of the castle, Tohru thought, surprising himself with the knowledge that he cared for the prince’s safety. He was Mana’s man and had always worked in the king’s best interests but he had to admit, he had always hoped that the prince would stay out of trouble. As naive as he thought the prince to be, Kami was a genuinely nice man to be around.


	6. Chapter 5: The Castle Across The Water

The journey to Gackt’s kingdom had taken most of a week and the weather had turned wet and miserable on the third day of travelling. It seemed that it never stopped raining and every day that it rained Kami had become soaked to the bone. He hadn’t complained but the men Mana had sent with him hadn’t stopped. Yu~ki was always hungry, Tetsu hated being wet and neither had been happy to join him on the journey. In comparison Gackt’s men, You and Chachamaru, had been nothing but positive throughout the hardships of the journey. It had been obvious after just the first hour that they got on well with their prince, so well you would probably consider the three men to be friends. Kami wished he could say the same about his companions but they were just guards sent by the king to keep him safe.

“Is that the castle?” Kami asked, as they reached the top of a hill that looked down into a valley. In his kingdom castles were always built up high, on artificial hills if necessary but this castle was sat on an island in the centre of a large lake. Kami supposed that it was out of the reach of arrows, ballista and trebuchets and the lake gave a clear view of anyone trying to travel there by boat.

“Yes,” Gackt replied, “It’ll be nice to finally get out of the rain.”

“Tell me about it,” Yu~ki muttered. “I swear all this water can’t be good for my armour.”

“I know, we’ll be rusted into it soon.” Tetsu agreed. Ignoring the two men’s conversation Kami rode his horse closer to Gackt.

“I don’t see any boats?” Kami said. “How do you get to the castle?”

“You fly,” Gackt said with a smile. “Or swim.”

“No seriously, how do we get there?” Kami asked. There were no signs of any bridge to the castle. Perhaps it was on the other side of the lake?

“They’ll raise the bridge when they see us approach,” Gackt reassured him. “It’s beneath the water right now. The traders from the town over there use boats to trade with the castle.”

“I don’t see any boats.” Kami said but Gackt gave him a curious look before moving ahead on the path down to the lake. It was just over an hour before Kami could see the canoes on the water, seeming so tiny within the vastness of the lake. Gackt had acted like he should have been able to see them before but that was impossible. No human could see that far. Could they?

“I swear this lake is getting further away.” Tetsu complained, a comment only Yu~ki responded too. The others had grown tired of their complaining days ago and if he was being entirely honest, Kami wished he had just left with Gackt and his own men.

“Are there any customs I should be aware off when I meet your family?” Kami asked, if only to distract them both from the constant negative conversation of his guards.

“Are you worried?” Gackt teased. “Don’t be. As long as my family can see you’re trying to be polite, they won’t mind if you make mistakes.”

“That’s not helpful,” Kami complained. “Like I didn’t know that the Queen had more power here than the king! Your kingdom is strange to me and I want to understand it better.”  
“Which is why you’re here,” Gackt reminded him. “I suppose there is something you could do to get some favours. My mother is quite fond of the black orchids that grow not far into that forest over there. It won’t be too much of a detour but it would make her smile.”

“Then let’s go pick some.” Kami said, the pair turning their horses off the path towards the forest. As always, Gackt’s guards simply followed them without a word of complaint. They were both sick of Kami’s guards and it was only a blessing that Kami himself hadn’t received the same scorn. He began to suspect his kingdom wasn’t popular with its neighbours and felt quite honoured that the men he travelled with did not find fault with him because of it.

“Kami, do you really need flowers?” Yu~ki asked as he pulled his horse up besides Kami. “It’s raining and will be close to dark by the time we get to the castle already. Do you really want to cross a bridge over a lake in pitch darkness?”

“Well no,” Kami replied. “We may have to camp another night.”

“In the rain.” Yu~ki reminded him.

“Don’t worry, it won’t be dark,” Gackt reassured Kami. “The bridge has lights.”  
“Won’t the torches burn out if they’re underwater?” Kami asked. “I don’t understand.”

“You’ll see.” Gackt said cryptically. He wanted to keep it a surprise then, Kami concluded as he pondered over how the bridge could be lit up. Perhaps they were gas lights that could be lit from one end to set the bridge ablaze? It seemed excessive but he couldn’t think of any other way.

Happy he had at least figured out an answer, he followed Gackt into the forest where the prince was looking for signs of the orchid. The hunt took about quarter of an hour before Gackt was dismounting and picking a flower from the forest floor.

“This is a bat orchid.” Gackt explained, as he handed Kami the unusual flower and went to look for a few more. What kind of flower is this? Kami wondered as he stared down at the black flower in his hand. It was almost triangle in shape, with two growths almost like eyes and many thin stems that grew from the centre like whiskers. It hardly looked like a flower and he wouldn’t have believed it existed, had it not been right there in his own hand.

“What kind of woman wants that?” Tetsu asked. “He’s trying to trick you into making a fool of yourself.”

“Why would Gackt do that?” Kami demanded.

“Because he doesn’t really want to marry you.” Tetsu answered.

“Prince Gackt is quite fond of Kami, he would never trick him like that.” You spoke up, clearly trying to keep his anger restrained. You had a quick temper that had flared up a few times on the journey, whenever anyone insulted Gackt or his kingdom. Kami could hardly blame him, his guards had been rude more than a few times.

“Kami knows full well my feelings towards him,” Gackt called over his shoulder as he bent down to pick two more stems. He turned holding the orchids, one black and the other a deep purple, and returned to his horse. “These flowers are rare so mother will get angry if I pick anymore. Three is the perfect number.”

“Does picking the flowers stop them from growing?” Kami wondered.

“They’ll bloom again next year,” Gackt reassured him. “But the dark fairies love the bat orchids just as much as much as my mother.”

“You believe in fairies?” Yu~ki said with obvious disdain. It was true that fairies were considered creatures only in legends but from the kingdom of Arnania came all sorts of strange stories. Even the prince, who Kami knew quite well, was far from ordinary.

“I believe,” Gackt answered, ignoring Yu~ki’s following questions and acting like he hadn’t heard them. It was a silent message to Yu~ki to remind him that he was a prince, something the guard was obviously forgetting. “Here, use my water bottle to hold the flowers so that they don’t die on the way down to the castle.”

“Yes, they look so delicate I’d hate to break these flowers.” Kami agreed, accepting the almost empty water bottle and turning it into a makeshift vase. This he held in one hand as he turned his horse around to head back to the path. The rain was beginning to ease up a little when they got back to the road but the setting sun no longer provided any warmth. The shadows grew as they headed towards the castle until it was almost entirely dark. The howling of wolves could be heard in the distance, making Kami shiver though when Gackt asked he blamed the cold.

The lake was a sea of darkness as they crossed the bridge that had risen out of the water for them but Kami could see his path clearly thanks to the lights along the bridge. Gackt had told him that they were powered by the same energy that made lightning and the very idea made Kami wary. He’d seen the damage that lightning could cause after a storm and worried what would happen should one of these lights break open.

“Are you worried about meeting my parents?” Gackt asked, picking up on Kami’s anxiety.

“A little but the lights concern me more,” Kami confessed. “What happens if they should break?”

“They go dark.” Gackt answered, well that much was obvious.

“To the lightning energy,” Kami corrected. “Electricity? Is that what you called it. What happens to that should the glass break?”

“Nothing if you don’t touch them,” Gackt reassured him. “The power in these lights is nothing compared to a single lightning bolt. It’s like comparing the water in that bottle to the entire lake.”

“When you put it like that, perhaps I’m being foolish to be concerned.” Kami said, though he only felt a little better after Gackt’s explanation. He wondered why this technology hadn’t been shared outside of Arnania but decided not to ask when his guards could hear. He was sure the answer was simply that they didn’t want it to get into the wrong hands and Mana was very much this kingdom’s enemy. Though those from Balourin had no idea that this was the case.

“It’s not foolish to be worried by power you don’t understand.” Gackt reassured him. There was a hidden message beneath those words but Kami was only brushing on the meaning of what the other meant. Of course this kingdom was going to be different and full of surprises, like the bridge for instance, but he was prepared for that.

“But it is ignorant to not try and understand.” Kami concluded.

“I agree.” Gackt said with a smile. Kami smiled right back, pleased that Gackt had responded well to his answer. They continued the ride in silence, except for Yu~ki and Tetsu talking about how glad they would be to sleep in a warm bed that night.

They finally reached the castle and the large doors opened before them, giving Kami a view of a large courtyard surrounded by several buildings. Like the bridge, the courtyard had been lit up with electric lights and there were surprisingly still many people not asleep.

“The lights here mean that people don’t worry about the dark.” Gackt explained. The explanation felt funny to Kami, for they had lights in his kingdom too but people still slept at night. Perhaps it wasn’t as late as he believed? Just because the sun had set didn’t mean it was automatically time to go to bed.

Several servants were waiting for them and before Kami knew it, his horse was being led to the stables by a stable boy and another boy, perhaps fifteen, was offering to show Kami to the room where he would be staying.

“Go on,” Gackt encouraged. “You don’t want to meet my parents with damp hair and smelling like horse, do you?”

“No,” Kami answered. “You’re right, I will wait for the morning to meet them.”

“Yes.” Gackt said simply. These arrangements suited Kami’s guards, who were happy to settle down for the night but Kami was sure that there was something Gackt hadn’t been telling him. He waited in his room for just a couple of minutes before there was a gentle knock.

“You want me to meet them now?” Kami asked. “You made that up about the morning to make my guards go to bed.”

“In an hour,” Gackt corrected. “Have a bath and get changed first.”

“You think I can dry this hair in an hour?” Kami asked. His hair went down to his waist and had always been thick. Gackt’s hair was on the longer side too, he should understand that it took time to dry.

“Let me show you this invention we have called a hair dryer.” Gackt said, with a smile that made Kami wonder what the big surprise was going to be. He wasn’t disappointed.


	7. Chapter 6: The Truth of Arnania

The queen of Arnania sat on her thrown with a rather tranquil expression that spoke of warmth, even if she wasn’t showing any emotions other than a smile when her son entered and greeted her formerly but fondly. She was beautiful in an ethereal way. Her skin was pale and without blemishes, her hair was dark and so long that it must threaten to touch the floor when she stood up. She seemed too delicate to be a queen and yet Kami knew that it would be a mistake to believe that. This queen was stronger than she first appeared.

“These are for you.” Kami said, after the queen had finished greeting her son and turned her attention onto him. He’d been given a glass for the flowers before he had entered the throne room, which he handed to the queen who seemed please.

“My son must have told you that I loved these orchids,” She commented. “Thank you for making the effort to find them and to not pick too many.”

“I’m pleased you like them.” Kami said formerly. Before anything else could be said, a man entered the thrown room who could only be Gackt’s father for he shared a strong resembles to his son. He bore the title of king but that did not mean he outranked his wife. He had a stern demeaner but showed warmth towards his son as he gave Kami a curious look.

“You are the prince from Balourin?” The king asked. “Your father had red hair too, though it was brighter in colour if I remember correctly.”

“That’s right,” Kami agreed politely. “You knew my father?”

“I met him once or twice.” The king confirmed. He went to stand beside his wife, who gave him a small smile before she turned her attention back onto Kami.

“You’re here without your guards, does this mean you wish to say something that your king cannot hear?” She asked.

“The guards are Mana’s men,” Kami confirmed the queen’s suspicions. “I believed it best to introduce myself to you alone.”

“Kami has come here to learn about Arnania from our perspective,” Gackt explained. “Are you happy for him to stay?”

“Yes of course,” The queen said, giving the couple a curious look as she wondered what she wasn’t being told. “If you are not too tired from your journey and this late hour, perhaps my son can show you around?”

“That would be wonderful.” Kami said politely. If only because this was time he could finally spend alone with Gackt, without worrying about anyone spying on him.

The electric lights in the garden shone with a white light that almost resembled moonlight but Gackt had confirmed that it was still the same power of lightning that was making the light. It seemed strange that lightning could make the yellowish light on the bridge and this white light in the gardens but he already felt foolish for asking about the lights once and wasn’t in the mood to ask again. Truth be told, he was tired both physically and mentally but he’d never say that out loud. His time out here alone with Gackt was worth any inconvenience. Still, he couldn’t hide his yawn.

“I’m keeping you up late,” Gackt teased as he gently took Kami’s hand and led him to a seat where they could rest. “You’re not used to these late nights, are you?”

“No,” Kami confessed, there was no point in lying. “But even a few minutes without somebody complaining is worth it to me.”

“I can understand that,” Gackt said. “So, you don’t want to go to bed?”

“No, not yet,” Kami confirmed. “Not until you tell me what those flowers are.”

“Moon flowers,” Gackt answered. “They only bloom in the dark which is why we try to keep the electric lights away from that area of the garden. The yellow ones over there are evening primrose and we also have some night blooming water lilies in the pond that we passed before.”

“Yes, I saw them, they were beautiful,” Kami confirmed. “Your people really do like the night, don’t they? Is that why you grow these nocturnal flowers?”

“Yes,” Gackt said with a smile. “That’s why I wanted to show you the gardens tonight, there’s more flowers in the day but I didn’t want you to miss out on these.”

“Thank you, that was thoughtful of you,” Kami said, his gaze moving onto a flicker of movement. “Oh! A moth has come to play by your lights.”

“They do that,” Gackt said. “I suppose to you a moth is just a nocturnal butterfly?”

“Exactly,” Kami agreed. “I think they’re just as beautiful. I love all insects really. When I was very young, I used to collect them with my mother but she always told me to let them go in the end. I did keep an ant colony though. I could spend hours just watching them and… you think I’m strange, don’t you?”

“Strange?” Gackt asked. “That’s how people describe my people, not yours. I don’t think you’re strange at all. You love even the smallest of creatures and have just as much affection for larger creatures, like people and horses. I find that endearing.”

“You think humans are like animals?” Kami asked. “Or did I misunderstand?”

“Yes, humans are animals,” Gackt confirmed with so much certainty that Kami found himself wanting to believe him. Though the very idea was strange of him to even consider. “You’re not convinced?”

“Where I come from, we believe humans are above the animals. That’s why we have souls,” Kami said doubtfully. “I’ve always seen us as the guardians of the planet, that it’s our duty to look after the animals. Which is why I don’t believe I am one.”

“Think of a dog or a cat,” Gackt said. “They have fur, which on humans we call hair, they have a spine and ribs and almost all the bones are the same. Humans have an undeveloped tail bone you know.”

“We do?” Kami asked doubtfully.

“Yes,” Gackt said firmly. “Humans are animals but that isn’t something to be ashamed off. There are however creatures of this world that are entirely separate to what even I would consider an animal.”

“Fairies?” Kami guessed.

“And all sorts of magical creatures,” Gackt said. “The magical creatures are different to the living ones but they do exist. I doubt you’ve seen one in Balourin?”

“No, I haven’t,” Kami agreed. “But you make me interested.”

“Not scared?” Gackt asked. Kami shook his head. He wasn’t scared at all. “What about vampires?”

“Don’t they hunt people and drink their blood?” Kami asked.

“Yes,” Gackt said simply. “And there’s shapeshifters that change forms and…”  
“This kingdom, it’s a safe haven for such creatures,” Kami realised. “Is that what your telling me?”

“Yes,” Gackt said simply. “That’s exactly what I’m telling you.”

“OK,” Kami said slowly. What he was learning came as a complete shock and he didn’t know how to handle the information. “You can see further than me, don’t seem to need as much sleep and you seem confident when you tell me nobody is spying on us. What are you?”

“Who knows,” Gackt said with a shrug. “My dad is a shapeshifter of sorts, at least he has shapeshifter blood. My mother is part vampire.”

“You told me I smelt good enough to eat, you meant that!” Kami exclaimed, resisting the urge to move away from Gackt. He hadn’t been attacked so far. It was best to assume that he wasn’t at any risk.

“Yes, but I don’t need blood and would never hurt you,” Gackt said. He seemed hurt by Kami’s reaction but what did he expect? Learning your friend had vampire blood was a shock and not something he could simply accept right away. “Please believe that.”

“I believe you,” Kami said, “But I need time to think about what you’re telling me. I won’t tell anybody, I promise.”

“Of course, I knew I could trust you,” Gackt said rather formerly, all traces of what he was thinking had been replaced by his perfect prince persona. Perhaps that was for the best? Kami was too busy struggling with his emotions to have to figure out Gackt’s as well. “Can I walk you back to your rooms?”

“I’d like that.” Kami said, though he wasn’t so sure if that was the case, or if he was just saying that to please Gackt.

Mana sat in the council room with the mirror in hand, pleased to have it back in his hands. Tohru was waiting to one side, waiting to see if he had found enough people to show to the mirror. Mana could be unpredictable and hard to please but he had done his best.

“Mirror, how many people have you seen?” Mana asked, smiling when the mirror gave its answer. Tohru breathed a sigh of relief, he had done his best and this time it had paid off.

“This mirror’s power is still limited though,” Mana said with a frown. “It only knows what it’s seen. What use is that?”

“It can tell when people are lying.” Tohru offered helpfully but that didn’t seem to be enough for Mana.

“Mirror, who made you?” Mana demanded of the mirror.

“I was made by a wizard named Klaha.” The mirror answered.

“Mirror, is Klaha still alive?” Mana asked the mirror.

“Klaha was alive when I saw him last.” The mirror answered. The answer annoyed Mana and he glared at the magical mirror with frustration.

“Mirror, when did you last see Klaha and where was it?” Mana asked, relieved to hear that it was only a few months ago in a kingdom not too far away. He turned to Tohru, who was still waiting for orders. “Tohru, send somebody to bring Klaha here. Perhaps the mirror’s maker can make his creation useful.”  
“Yes, your highness.” Tohru said with a bow. Mana dismissed him and waited for the spy master to be gone before he asked the mirror the question he wanted to hear the answer of most of all.

“Mirror, am I still the most beautiful man you have seen?” Mana asked, eagerly awaiting the answer.

“No, there is one man more beautiful than you.” The mirror said. In his anger Mana almost smashed the mirror against the table. A man more beautiful? How could that be?

“Mirror, who is more beautiful?” Mana asked, struggling to control his rage which only grew when he heard the answer. That damned prince! When had Kami even been shown to the mirror? The prince had always been a thorn in his side but it seemed even in his absence, Kami’s existence was bringing strife to his life.

He could send a message to one of his men, ask them to scar Kami’s face perhaps but Mana decided that perhaps that wasn’t the best solution. He wanted Kami gone and for now Kami’s beautiful face would help in finding him a husband that would keep the prince far away from Balourin.


	8. Chapter 7: Prince of Arnania

For the first time since he had set off for Arnania, Kami was actually glad that Mana’s men were following him around. It meant that he couldn’t talk to Gackt about anything of significance, which after last night’s revelation was a blessing. Part of him wanted to believe it was a dream but the more he paid attention to what was going on around him, the more clues he could spot that the people here were not quite human. Thankfully his guards were oblivious.

He’d woken up late and then had to explain why it was he had visited the royal couple the night before. By the time he was done and ready, it was almost time for lunch which he had attended with Gackt by his side. The other seemed relieved that Kami wasn’t avoiding him, which made Kami feel guilty that he hadn’t been more accepting. Gackt couldn’t help what he was, anymore than he could help feeling a little uneasy about everything. After lunch he had been shown around the castle and the island it stood on, which lead to him standing on a rocky beach as Gackt made the shocking revelation that he was going for a swim.

“Here?” Kami asked. “The water must be freezing cold.”

“The cold can be good for you.” Gackt said with a shrug. He began to undress and at first Kami turned his gaze away but he could help but look. His heart quickened at the body that was being revealed but before he could admire the prince’s naked form, he was disappearing into the water.

“That man is crazy.” Tetsu muttered. Kami was sure Gackt could hear him, even if he didn’t react.

“He’s a free spirit,” Kami corrected, kicking off his shoes and rolling up his trousers enough that he could stand ankle deep in the water without his clothes getting wet. The water was freezing and felt almost as cold as ice, but he endured the discomfort just to make his point. Behind him his guards were complaining about Gackt and himself being so reckless. He’d been grateful for the excuse not to have to talk to Gackt about things before but now the guards were simply annoying him. “You don’t need to follow me around the castle you know. Gackt was able to walk around our home without fear.”

“Because Balourin is a civilised country, not like here,” Tetsu answered. “This is a land of monsters. I swear I saw a man before with fangs.”

“You’re imagining things,” Kami answered. “And even if that was true, I am with Prince Camui who is quite willing to consider a serious relationship with me. I have no doubts in his affection. I am in no danger.” Again, he was sure Gackt could hear but he would have said what he felt in front of him.

“Of course, you’re safe, but it’s out duty to protect you.” Yu~ki tried to explain.

“I’d like the opportunity to talk to Gackt alone,” Kami said. “As your prince, I order you to give us privacy. Unless Mana has asked you to spy on me?”

“Not at all.” Tetsu said, a little too quickly. It was as Kami had expected, they were here to report back to Mana anything that happened. He didn’t show that he knew what was going on and being challenged as they were, the two guards had no choice but to return to the castle. With them gone, he found a large rock to sit on as he waited for Gackt to swim back to the shore. From the waves two mermaids appeared and he gave them a wave before they vanished back beneath the water.

Gackt didn’t try to hide his nudity when he came out of his lake and in turn, Kami didn’t hide the fact he was looking. He didn’t want Gackt to think he was scared of him, that was all it was. Or so he told himself.

“Now what are you going to do?” Kami teased. “You’re soaking wet and have nothing to dry yourself on.”

“I’ll be fine,” Gackt said with a shrug. He used his shirt to dry himself and then put on the rest of his clothes so that he was no longer naked. “You look disappointed. I saw you enjoying the view.”  
“I was not!” Kami protested, but of course Gackt didn’t believe his lie. Losing the disagreement, he decided to change the subject. “I sent the guards away for a reason you know.”

“So we can have sex on the beach?” Gackt asked. “Sounds fun. You should have said before I got dressed again.”

“Are you serious?” Kami asked, deciding he didn’t want to hear an answer to that question he decided to ignore the suggestion. “They were being annoying and I wanted to talk to you.”

“What do you want to ask?” Gackt said. “This is about what I told you last night?”

“Yes,” Kami said. “Well I suppose first I want to know if you can change forms. You said your Dad was a shapeshifter?”

“He’s half werewolf and a quarter shapeshift, the rest is human,” Gackt explained. “He can only become a wolf. I can only become a bat.”

“Do you drink blood?” Kami asked, as he absorbed this new information. Gackt could turn into a bat? He hadn’t expected that answer but at least this time he had been prepared for the possibility that Gackt could change his form.

“Yes,” Gackt confessed. “I don’t need blood but it tastes good to me. I’ve only drunk from romantic partners. I’m too human to risk drinking from many people.”

“You don’t want people to find out what you are?” Kami guessed.

“I don’t want to get sick,” Gackt answered. Kami’s surprise must have been written on his face, for after a moment Gackt decided to explain further. “There’s diseases in blood that can be passed from one person to another.”

“Like a cold?” Kami asked.

“And worse,” Gackt said. “You’re adorable in your innocence. Nobody has told you about sexually transmitted diseases?”

“No!” Kami exclaimed, horrified by the concept. To Gackt’s credit he didn’t mock him as he began to explain to him what he had meant. By the time Gackt was finished, he understood why the other was wary about drinking blood from just anyone. The knowledge made him feel safer around the other, which was a surprise as he hadn’t realised that he had felt unsafe before. Was that why he had been struggling to accept Gackt’s identity? “Are there more vampires here?”

“Yes,” Gackt said simply. “I’m not going to tell you who. It’s up to them to share. I only told you what my parents were because it affects what I am.”

“It’s ok, you’ve already told me more than I would have expected you to.” Kami answered. Arnania had a reputation for monsters already, if people knew the truth of the royal family then every person in the kingdom could be in danger. 

“Is that so?” Gackt asked. Kami nodded and stared silently out at the lake where the mermaids had been swimming. He could live in this kingdom, where he would be safe and learn about so many wonderful new things. Could he be happy here? As much as he cared for Gackt, as much as he marvelled at this kingdom, he knew he couldn’t stay here. He’d be giving up too much. His dream of a family and his home would both be sacrificed. The cost of staying here was too high. But what of the cost of returning to Balourin?

“You have a brother, don’t you?” Kami asked. “Would you ever consider giving up your claim to the throne to him?”

“No,” Gackt replied. “Mainly because I’m second in line. My older sister is first. We don’t discriminate by gender here.”

“Oh!” Kami said, taken back by this news. He’d always assumed that as the Queen’s eldest son it would be Gackt to take the throne. “Is that why kings don’t outrank queens here?”

“Yes,” Gackt confirmed. “The ruling monarch has politic power and their partner takes on whatever responsibility that is given to them. Father is in charge of the military.”

“Then I’ll need to speak to him,” Kami answered. “I think it’s time I claimed my throne but I know I’ll need Arnania’s help. Would you help me establish my kingdom? Even if it kept you away from your home for years?”

“I would,” Gackt answered. “As an ambassador of Arnania, I would stay by your side. Father will be pleased to hear of this, I would think. He’s been looking for a reason to remove the Tyrant King from his throne and you’ve just given him one.”

“Would I need to fear Arnania?” Kami asked. “It sounds like your father wanted to take over and…”

“No!” Gackt interrupt him. “You don’t need to fear anything. I mean yes, he’d place me to watch over you, to ensure the peace between the kingdoms but you’ve already asked for that.”

“You mean to say that if I escape Arnania’s help, Balourin will always be at Arnania’s mercy,” Kami corrected. “I’m not a fool, I realised that may be the price when I asked.”

“Treat your people well and you don’t need to worry,” Gackt answered. To his credit, he wasn’t lying or denying the accusation in any way. Such words made Kami believe he could trust him. “Do you still want to talk to my father?”

“I do.” Kami confirmed. He hadn’t entirely made up his mind but meeting Gackt’s father would help him make a decision. One way or the other, he was certain that war may be coming to his homeland and that filled him with nothing but concern.

Klaha was younger than Mana had expected but looks could be deceiving. He used magic to stay young and he was sure this wizard was no different. There were no signs of a struggle from the wizard, who walked freely into the throne room without a trace of concern. He’d accepted the offer of payment then. It was nice to see he could be bought.

“Your majesty,” Klaha said as he bowed politely before the king. What a handsome man he was, Mana thought, and so well mannered. “I hear you have gained possession of my mirror?”

“I have,” Mana agreed. “You make it sound like the mirror was stolen? I can sure you that this mirror was a gift that was purchased legally.”

“Yes of course, I would never suggest you stole the mirror,” Klaha answered. “But it was stolen from me several years ago. A lot of work went into that mirror, I hope you take care of it.”

“I do,” Mana answered. Truth be told he had lost all affection for the mirror once it had named Kami more beautiful than himself but he could see that the wizard was struggling with the idea that the mirror would not be given back to him. “But I want an upgrade. The mirror needs to tell me what it doesn’t already know. Otherwise what good is it? Hardly better than a spy.”

“Your highness, I would love to do so but I don’t know how.” Klaha tried to explain but Mana wasn’t listening to excuses.

“Then you will learn how.” Mana said.

“I will do my best,” Klaha relented, bowing once more. Bored of the wizard already, Mana ordered for his mirror to be fetched from his room and began to explain his ideas of what he wished the mirror to do to the wizard. When the mirror was returned to Klaha, he admired it like a father being reunited with a long-lost child. “Somebody has scratched the mirror right here” He commented after he finished his examination. He sounded genuinely sad that this had happened, though to Mana the mirror was nothing but an inanimate object.

“Show this man to his rooms,” Mana ordered. “I have arranged a suite for you, including a workshop to work on the mirror. You can fix the scratch there.”

“Yes, your highness.” Klaha said, bowing yet again before he was led out of the room. He clung to the mirror tightly, which was of small concern. When the mirror had been perfected, would Klaha be able to give it up? For his sake, Mana hoped that would be the case. It would be a shame to remove the head of somebody so pretty.


	9. Chapter 8: A Tender Moment

Kami felt Gackt’s lips meet with his own and his eyes widened in surprise. He pulled back and reached up to touch the spot where Gackt’s lips had been, hardly believing what had just happened. They’d been talking and joking around and then this kiss had happened and everything he thought he had known began to come undone.

“I’m sorry,” Gackt apologised. “I thought we had a moment and…”

“There was a moment,” Kami stopped him. “But moments like that can’t happen. They…”

“It’s ok, it’s a kiss,” Gackt stopped him. “It doesn’t mean we’re a couple. It doesn’t mean you can’t find a woman of your dreams and have that family you dream off. It’s just a kiss.” Kami wasn’t sure which was worse; the kiss being significant or it meaning nothing at all. He was more confused than he had been before.

“You’re right,” Kami said, trying to focus on the present. “I’m being silly to react this way.”

“No, you’re not,” Gackt said kindly. He took Kami’s hands in his in a comforting manner. “Your emotions are conflicted and it’s my fault.”  
“It’s not just this kiss,” Kami said with a sigh. “It’s all this talk about going to war against my step-father. I want my throne but not if Mana’s life will be forfeit because of it. It’s getting harder to lie to my guards as well. Tetsu just wants to go back home, I think he realises the people are not all human here, even if he hasn’t entirely figured things out.”

“And Yu~ki, what does he think?” Gackt asked. He wasn’t surprised to hear Tetsu had become nervous in his kingdom, just the other day Tetsu had been arguing with one of the guards and more arguments were sure to come. He had hardly seemed nervous at all.

“Yu~ki is changing,” Kami said, carefully picking out his words. “Not in any obvious ways but… when we travelled here, I could never imagine wanting to be Yu~ki’s friend. He annoyed me to no end and was entirely working for Mana but now… I think being here is breaking Mana’s control over him. Or if not control, unclouding his mind?”

“Or he’s playing games with you,” Gackt said gently. “Or maybe he genuine likes you but is still working for Mana.”

“I know, I’m not going to just blindly trust him,” Kami reassured the other. Idly he twisted the ring on his finger, as he was prone to do when he was thinking about something or upset, and a small diamond fell from the band. Instantly he was on the floor, looking for the fallen stone.

“What’s the matter?” Gackt asked but before Kami could answer, his keen eyesight had spotted the diamond. “Looking for this?”

“Yes, it fell from my father’s ring,” Kami said, showing Gackt the place where the diamond was supposed to be. “This was the ring from his wedding to my mother, I’ve worn it since the day he died.”

“I understand,” Gackt said, seeing how distressed Kami was he placed an arm over Kami’s shoulders. “Stones fall from jewellery, it happens, but I know someone who can fix this. Would you let me take the ring to him? He’s nervous around humans but will speak to me.”

“Any jeweller can fix this,” Kami said. “I don’t think that would be necessary but thank you for offering.”

“My jeweller is the best. He will secure every stone and they will never fall out or become damaged. I don’t know if it’s magic, or just an innate ability, but I promise you that this ring will be better than new. It should only take a few days.” Gackt explained. Hesitating for a moment, Kami slipped the ring from his finger and placed it in Gackt’s care.

“No!” Mana screamed at the mirror in his hand, throwing it across the room in his anger, whilst its maker throw himself on the floor in time to catch it before it could break. Klaha had done as asked, though it had taken several weeks the mirror could now do as Mana had desired. “How could he? My own son! I raised that boy! I gave him a home and he betrays me?”

“There’s no need to smash the mirror!” Klaha protested, clinging to it tightly as Mana stormed towards him.

“Tell me that mirror is wrong!” Mana demanded. “Tell me that Kami is not plotting to take the throne!”

“The mirror is never wrong.” Klaha said apologetically. He breathed a sigh of relief when Mana’s reaction was to storm to the door to request the guard to assemble his war council.

“That mirror can be wrong,” Mana said, appearing to be a little bit more composed now. “It told me that Kami was more beautiful than I.”

“Clearly the mirror’s idea of beauty is not the same as ours.” Klaha answered. The mirror was right in his opinion, for beauty went beyond a man’s face and Mana’s core was clearly ugly, but he knew better than to ever suggest such a thing. Mana was unpredictable even in a good mood. When he was angry, he was terrifying.

“Go and fix that then!” Mana demanded. With a quick bow Klaha fled the room, relieved to no longer be in the presence of the angry king. Pacing Mana waited impatiently for his most trusted advisors to arrive, glaring at each one as they entered as if they were late.

“It’s ok Mana, we will fix this.” K said gently as he passed Mana to get to his seat. He didn’t know what the problem was but his words were comforting all the same. That was right, he would rise above this betrayal in such a way that nobody would ever again challenge his rule.

“The wizard has upgraded the mirror,” Mana announced once everyone had settled in place. “I can now use it to see whatever is going on in the lives of those the mirror has seen before.”

“That sounds useful.” Tohru said, trying to act nonchalant to the news. Of course the spy master wasn’t happy to hear that a mirror could do his job better than he could but he couldn’t exactly tell Mana that was how he was feeling.

“As the kind, loving, father that I am, I thought to check up on the health of my dear step-son,” Mana explained fooling no one. It was no secret among these men that Mana didn’t really care for his step-son but nobody dared speak it. “And what do I find? Betrayal! Prince Kami is plotting to take my throne with the help of Arnanian forces. Can you imagine how distraught this makes me feel?”

“Arnania is a land of monsters,” K reminded Mana. “They must have tricked the prince. I suggest we bring him back home where you can undo whatever damage has been done.” Mana glanced at K, thinking over what was being suggested. He could use magic to alter Kami’s loyalties but it didn’t seem to be a fitting response to a man named more beautiful than himself. For the first time, Mana began to wonder if he actually hated Kami. The foolish boy had always been someone he tolerated but with this betrayal he no longer felt any kindness towards the prince.

“I fear it won’t be enough,” Mana said, with false sorrow. “Prince Kami has become lost to us. Who knows if he’s still even human?”

“If he’s a monster, my men would know,” The guard captain, Seth, spoke up. “I can get a message to the two guards we sent by the end of the day. If they believe that the prince is a monster, then they will act accordingly.”

“Yes, if Kami is a monster, then that is our solution,” Mana said, faking a sigh as he took his seat at the head of the table. “As for this foreign threat?”

“Perhaps without the prince they won’t have the excuse to invade?” K suggested, an answer that Mana did not like. The king was ready for war and, in such a mood, no talks of peace would ever persuade him to back down.

It was lonely without Gackt in the castle, though Kami found himself quite happy in the presence of Gackt’s family, he missed the prince he had grown fond of quite terribly. Trying to stay in good spirits he kept himself busy but always in the back of his mind was the question of when Gackt would return with the ring repaired. If he’d known how much he would have missed Gackt, then perhaps he would have left the ring broken.

“You’re missing him, aren’t you?” Yu~ki asked one day. “Your father will be pleased.”

“I suppose he will,” Kami answered. “He wanted me to marry Gackt but he’s just a friend.”

“Sure,” Yu~ki agreed. “Come on, let’s go for a walk in the forest. Perhaps you could find some flowers for the queen. You want to be in her good graces.”

“I already am, but some flowers might be a nice way to surprise her.” Kami agreed. He didn’t feel like going on a walk but it was better than moping around. He followed Yu~ki towards the bridge that was brought up out of the water for them and they walked across barely saying a word. Yu~ki seemed a little nervous but Kami thought nothing of it. Yu~ki had been nervous from the day he had begun to suspect that the people here were not all human.

“Where’s your father’s ring?” Yu~ki suddenly asked. “You’re not wearing it.”

“Gackt left to get it fixed, I thought you knew?” Kami answered.

“I knew he was fixing a ring. I didn’t realise it was that one.” Yu~ki said. He seemed more concerned than he should be and Kami gave him a look before deciding it was best not to ask.

“Well Gackt should be back tomorrow, I’ll have it again then,” Kami answered. “Unless you don’t trust him?”

“He has no reason to steal from you, certainly not something of sentimental value.” Yu~ki answered but he still seemed nervous. What was wrong with his guard? Kami had never seen Yu~ki like this before and it unnerved him.

“The flowers were up there.” Kami remembered and the pair set off up the path, looking for a hint of where they had entered the forest last time. It was Yu~ki who spotted the spot, though Kami wasn’t sure how he had identified the area. It all looked the same to him and he quickly realised that Yu~ki had been wrong. “I don’t think the flowers are here.” He said, turning to find the guard was crying. His eyes dropped to the dagger held in Yu~ki hand that was clearly shaking.

“He told me to kill you but I can’t do it.” Yu~ki confessed, the dagger dropping to the floor. “You’re a good man, you don’t deserve to die and I get it, you want the throne that was stolen.”

“Wait, Mana knows about that?” Kami asked. “How! Did you tell him? Tetsu?”

“I don’t know how he knows. I just got a letter sent by a raven that told me to kill you. I’m supposed to take your hair and father’s ring to Mana as proof that you are dead,” Yu~ki explained. No… That’s it! I can take your hair and ring to Mana and tell him that your dead. You don’t need to die! You just need to hide!”

“Why do you need to pretend I’m dead?” Kami demanded, not sure if he should be angry at Yu~ki, or pity him.

“If I don’t kill you, someone else will,” Yu~ki answered. “And I have a woman waiting for me back home. Mana will hurt her if he thinks I didn’t follow such an important order. Forget this dream to take your throne. Mana has powers you couldn’t even imagine.”

“There’s a woman?” Kami repeated. He took a step back as Yu~ki picked up his dagger and moved towards him.

“If you don’t want death to come for you, you will hide because I swear, if she’s hurt, I won’t hesitate to hurt you!” Yu~ki threaten. He reached for Kami’s long hair and cut at the long strands before Kami could protest. His hair felt lighter now, no longer to his waist, though arguably long.

“I won’t survive in this forest!” Kami complained but as Yu~ki threatened to kill him for real, he realised that the other would do just that. Perhaps Yu~ki was already regretting his decision to help him? Shaken with fear, he turned and ran into the trees as fast as he could. He’d been betrayed by his guard, as he had always feared he might be. How had Mana found out what he was plotting and how had such an order gotten to Yu~ki without being noticed? Were their traitors in Arnania, or did Mana really have such power that nothing he did would be a secret? Was hiding really the best option? If Mana had such power, perhaps he already knew what had happened? Distracted by his thoughts, he tripped over an exposed root and fell down a steep slope where he lay motionless at the bottom.


	10. Chapter 9: Lost in the Forest

Kami had regained consciousness after his fall with no idea how long he had been lying in the grassy ditch. His body ached all over, especially his head which now had a large cut that must have caused him to pass out. Unsteadily he climbed to his feet and found the world around him shaking out of focus. He began to become very afraid, as if being in the forest alone without supplies wasn’t bad enough, now he was also suffering from a head wound. Carefully he took a couple of steps, feeling dizzy but the sensation slowly began to pass as he headed deeper into the forest. He was lost, with no idea where to go or what he should do. To return home would be suicide, Mana knew his plans and wanted him dead. To return to Gackt’s home would alert Mana that he was alive and put everyone at risk. What was he supposed to do?

He was thirsty and could hear water in the distance, so headed in that direction fighting off the dizziness that waxed and waned in its intensity. He slipped twice when the dizziness was at it’s worst but managed to find the small steam where he drank heavily without concern if the water was clean enough for him to drink. With his thirst under control for now, he washed away the dried blood from the cuts to investigate how bad they truly were. Most were scratches of no concern and now he had drunk his fill the dizziness was beginning to subside a little. 

He found that he was crying and allowed the tears to fall without restraint. He wanted to return to Gackt where he had felt safe, even though he had not been. Perhaps now he knew Mana would send an assassin they could be prepared but he no longer had any idea which way to go even if he did decide to head back. He was helplessly lost in the forest and the sun would soon set.

“Gackt, please, I need you,” Kami screamed into the forest, though he knew the other would not hear him. He’d marry Gackt right now if it meant they could be together forever. The dream of children seemed insignificant, if it came at the cost of losing him. His tears fell harder but as the sun began to set, he forced himself to let go of the sorrow. Crying wasn’t helping with anything, any more than standing here was doing. He needed to find shelter, or better yet another person who could help him. With no idea which way to go, he decided that perhaps the steam may eventually run down to the lake and began to following it until the darkness made it impossible to do so.

Taking a stick in his hand as a make shift weapon, he climbed a tree and sat there hoping that no predators would come in the night. He was at the mercy of the elements and as night drew in, he began to tremble in the cold.

‘Does he even know that I’m gone?’ Kami wondered. What would Yu~ki had told Gackt’s family about his sudden disappearance? Probably that he had decided to go home. They wouldn’t look for him, what reason would they have for doing so?

A clap of thunder made Kami jump and just as suddenly it began to rain. Miserably he curled up as well as he could within the tree, hoping that the storm would soon be over. This was the most miserable night of his life, worse even that the death of his father. He had never felt so alone.

As Gackt rode into his kingdom he was glad to finally be home. The precious ring had been repaired and he couldn’t wait to give it to Kami. To see him smile would be worth the days they had spent apart but he was soon to learn that Kami was no longer in the castle.

“He went home?” Gackt repeated. “Without telling me? Without his ring?”

“He was homesick,” Yu~ki explained. “Tetsu went with him while I waited to take the ring for him and pass on the message. He’s sorry that he left without a proper goodbye. I think he just found it too awkward to turn down this love match when he got on with you so well.”

“Then he’s a coward!” Gackt exclaimed. “Running away from me like this!”

“Perhaps,” Yu~ki said, holding out his hand. Gackt stared at it for a moment before realising Yu~ki was waiting for the ring. Angrily he handed it over and headed inside. How could Kami do this to him? It wasn’t like him at all. Kami had wanted to reclaim his throne. It made no sense that Kami had left like this. To not even wait for him to return with the ring. Would he really trust such a precious heirloom to a guard he merely tolerated? With a frown, that was noticed by his guard Chachamaru, he entered his room and gestured for the guard to join him.

“When Kami left, did anything seem odd?” He asked quietly. He wasn’t entirely sure what Chachamaru was, he seemed human enough, but he knew the other’s hearing was more sensitive than even his own.

“Nobody saw Kami leave,” Chachamaru answered. “You’re right to be suspicious, we all are. He went for a walk with his guard Yu~ki and when Yu~ki returned he claimed Kami had been leaving and we were the ones who had it wrong. His things were gone from his room by this point but that could have easily been Tetsu’s doing. He left the castle not long after Kami had left for that walk.”

“Kami knew I had his ring and would be back soon, why leave like that?” Gackt wondered. “He didn’t seem unhappy?”

“No, quite the opposite,” Chachamaru answered. “He’d been getting on well with your family but did look a little lost at times. I was told by your sister that she thought he was missing you and I can’t disagree with that sentiment.”

“Send a rider after them,” Gackt ordered. “I want somebody in this kingdom to report back that Kami left on his own will. Someone we trust.”

“Of course,” Chachamaru answered, though he didn’t leave the room. “Don’t look like that, I’ve already sent You to do just that.”

“Part of me hopes it’s just that he wanted to go home,” Gackt said with a sigh. “He never wanted to marry me and was always honest about that. But because he was so honest, I wouldn’t think he would have just left. There wasn’t even a letter?”

“It’s strange but we’ll have answers soon.” Chachamaru promised. Gackt could only hope that the other was right for this not knowing was the worse than any answer he could be given to explain why Kami had left in such a hurry.

He must have fallen asleep sometime during the night, as it passed quicker than it would have had he been awake. He felt like he had had no sleep at all and his head still hurt from the fall the day before. Hunger and thirst joined the discomfort of wearing damp clothes and he found himself sneezing a few times as he climbed back to the ground.

At least in the day light he could see more of his surroundings but he quickly released that it didn’t help at all. He was in a forest following a stream downwards into a valley. This didn’t look right at all, perhaps he wasn’t going the right way at all?

With a sigh he continued to follow the stream, hoping that sooner or later he’d spot a village or town nearby. Maybe he was simply prolonging his death? He had no food and didn’t know how to hunt without weapons. A voice whispered in his head to just give up, that Mana would have him killed even if he did survive, but he ignored it and continued onwards.

It was mid-afternoon when he spotted the cottage in the distance and found himself grinning like a fool. Even if the place was empty, it’d be a place to rest. He hurried as best as he could towards it, praying for warmth and perhaps even a meal. It was threatening to rain again and he hoped to be sheltered before that happened.

He reached the cottage just as the first drops of rain began to fall and hurried beneath the shelter of the front porch. He knocked on the door, hoping that the owner of this cottage would be home. There was no answer and no sounds of life inside. Perhaps the place was deserted? He tried the handle and the door swung open without issue, it was a surprise to find the place was furnished inside.

“Hello? Is anyone home?” Kami called into the cottage but there was no answer. He called out a few times as he walked through the rooms, deciding that the place was empty though not entirely unoccupied. Perhaps this was a place visited only rarely? Though wasn’t that a fresh loaf of bread he could see on the kitchen counter?

He was a prince and he was starving, Kami rationalised as he rushed towards the bread and began to eat. No food had ever tasted so good and he’d eaten several slices before he looked around for anything to accompany the loaf. He found some butter and jam which did the trick and ate his fill, knowing he would have to apologise when the cottage owner returned.

There was running water in the taps, so he washed his cuts at the sink and went to sit in the living room to rest on the sofa. Before he knew it, he was falling asleep and with a yawn he curled up on the sofa and allowed sleep to take him.

He woke up to the sight of a bearded man glaring at him. He seemed angry with him and it took Kami a long moment to remember where he was. Slowly he sat up, finding a blanket falling off him as he moved. It was then that he noticed that this man was shorter than any man he had ever seen before and that he wasn’t alone.

“Who are you?” The stranger demanded.

“I am…” Kami began, suddenly realising he shouldn’t give his real name. “I’m sorry, I got lost in the forest and was hungry and it started to rain.”

“Told you,” Another man’s voice spoke up, catching Kami’s attention. When he looked over, he saw another bearded man who look just a little bit shorter than the man he had been speaking to. “There’s no need to be afraid. We don’t mind that you ate a little bread.”  
“And butter. And my jam!” The grumpy man complained. “I care.”

“Ignore Clement, he just doesn’t like strangers,” The friendly man reassured Kami. “I’m Barclay and your welcome to stay as long as you like.”  
“Thank you.” Kami said, just as Clement said, “No he can’t!”

“Is Clement being difficult again?” A man from another room called out. Before anyone could say anything, a short red-haired man had entered the room, followed by four other men of similar heights. Dwarfs, Kami realised suddenly, so they did exist!

“This human broke into our home when we were out, ate our food and…” Clement began to complain.

“Fell asleep on the couch, making himself vulnerable,” The red-haired dwarf finished for him. “Look at him, he’s clearly been through a lot. What’s your name?”

“It’s uhh…” Kami began, struggling to think of a false name quickly.

“You can’t remember, can you?” The red-haired man said gently. “That’s a nasty head wound you have there. Marlow, can you get the first aid kit and Preston, I need some rags boiled in hot water to clean the wounds.”

“Of course,” the two dwarfs said, almost in unison, as they rushed off to get the supplies that had been requested of them. “There’s no need to worry. You can stay here until you remember everything. You’ll need to care for the house while we work but I’m sure a young man like you would have no trouble. In return, you get shelter and food.”

“That sounds wonderful,” Kami said with an honest smile. “Thank you… You never told me your name?”

“Winston.” The helpful dwarf answered.

“You can call me Ukyou.” Kami decided. It was his real name but one he never used and wouldn’t automatically tell the dwarves who he was.

“Nice to meet you, Ukyou.” The dwarf said. The two dwarves he had sent to bring supplies had both returned, so he started to clean Kami’s head wound as some of the other dwarves began to discuss with each other if it was the right thing to let Kami stay.

“Do you fix jewellery?” Kami wondered, remembering what Gackt had said about how his jeweller hated humans. These dwarves mistrusted him because he was human, not for what he had done.

“No, we mine gemstones,” Winston answered. “But I know some dwarves that do. Why, you looking for a jeweller?”

“No, nothing like that.” Kami answered, trying to hide his disappointment. These dwarves might know Gackt, they might not and for now he wasn’t even sure if he wanted to return to the Arnanian castle. It was best to hide here, at very least until he had decided exactly what it was that he should do.


	11. Chapter 10: The Missing Prince

Mana smiled as he saw the hair that was tied to a familiar ring. The two guards had done well in their task and now the only threat to his throne had been removed. There was still the matter of the Arnanians to deal with, but that would come later.

“Fetch me my mirror,” Mana ordered his personal servant. “Seth will arrange payment for you once we have confirmed that Kami is dead.”

“You mean to have the ring melted down,” Yu~ki guessed, “But I was wondering if perhaps I could keep it instead of payment.” He seemed nervous, Mana noted, but that was most likely because he was making such an unusual request. Perhaps he feared that he would be angry that a memento of Kami was being kept? It did irate him a little but right now he was in a good mood and such a trivial thing didn’t concern him.

“You can keep the ring.” Mana agreed, feeling quite pleased at himself for being so generous. He ignored Yu~ki’s grovelling thanks and waited impatiently for the mirror to be brought to him. It came with its maker, who seemed reluctant to hand the mirror over.

“Your highness, I’m still working on improving the mirror’s idea of beauty,” Klaha explained. “It’s not quite there yet.”

“No matter,” Mana said, “Hand it over.”

“Yes, your highness.” Klaha said, handing over the mirror with some reluctance and taking a step back away from the throne.

“Mirror, who is the most beautiful man in all the world?” Mana asked, growing angry as the image in the mirror changed to a man that was not him.

“Kami is the most beautiful man in the world.” Came the answer. The guards glanced at each other in fear, both sure that they would be blamed for this.

“Mirror, Kami is dead. Who is the most beautiful?” Mana demanded angrily.

“Kami is the most beautiful.” The mirror repeated.

“Kami is dead!” Mana snapped, glaring suspiciously at the two guards. The evidence he had been given suddenly didn’t seem satisfactory.

“Your highness, the mirror is a work in progress,” Klaha reminded Mana. “I’m sorry, my spells haven’t worked as I hoped. Please let me take it to work on some more.”

“Fix it!” Mana said, angrily handing the mirror over as he studied the two guards’ reactions critically.

“Yes, your majesty.” Klaha said, bowing low before he hurried out of the room with his precious mirror.

“Kami is dead, isn’t he?” Mana said in a falsely sweet tone. “You wouldn’t lie to me, would you?”

“No! Of course not your highness!” Tetsu exclaimed. “We did everything as you asked. The Arnanians believe Kami left because he was homesick.”

“But is he dead?!” Mana demanded. “Who killed him?”

“I did, your highness,” Yu~ki said, meeting Mana’s gaze as he spoke. “I know you would not tolerate anything less. Why would I protect the prince? You’re the one I serve.”

“That’s right,” Mana agreed. He pondered if he should use his magic to get the truth but decided against it. There men were scared of him, which meant they would never betray him. It was hardly like either of them had been fond of the prince. They were good, loyal, men and it was best to keep them that way. He sent them on their way and called Tohru out of the shadows. “What do you think?”

“I think that Klaha can’t be trusted and in extension neither can the mirror,” Tohru answered. It was a statement he had made before and whilst it was transparent that the spy master didn’t want to be replaced, this time Mana found himself in agreement. “Let me send my spies to Arnania. We need to find out what their Queen is up to and we can confirm Kami’s death at the same time.”

“That’s a good idea,” Mana agreed. “Send your people. They have always been more than useful.”  
“They have,” Tohru agreed. “And I’m sure that every one of them would say you were the most beautiful. Don’t trust in that mirror. What does glass know of beauty?”

“Perhaps nothing at all.” Mana agreed. The spy master bowed and excused himself from the throne room whilst Mana pondered on his words. Was he wasting his time with Klaha and the mirror? If neither could be trusted, what was the point of having either of them at all?

Kami woke up to the usual chaos of the dwarves getting ready for work and knew there would be no chance of getting back to sleep now. He’d been living with them for just a few days but he already knew that every morning was full of loud chatter and the occasional bickering that was impossible to ignore. With a yawn he sat up in the bed and slipped on the pair of slippers than had been given to him. He didn’t know where the dwarfs had got the clothes from but suspected that there were many of their kind that lived in this forest. A whole community of dwarves, hiding from human eyes.

He stretched as he got out of the slightly too small bed and headed downstairs where he began to prepare breakfast for the men he now lived with. It had been hard to learn how to cook but he was just about getting the hang of things. The recipe book helped but for breakfast he didn’t need it. It wasn’t that hard to make toast and eggs, which he had decided would be this morning’s meal.

“I want my eggs boiled.” Marlow called down the stairs.

“I know, just a little past runny!” Kami called back. “I remember.” The truth was he had written down each of the dwarves’ preferences as he learnt them and was now using that cheat sheet to make three types of eggs for everyone. Cooking for the dwarfs was always hard work but he didn’t complain, they were offering him somewhere safe to stay after all.

Slowly the dwarfs came downstairs and Kami served the food for each man before beginning to pack up seven lunches. By the time he was done, there was nothing but empty plates on the table, another job for him to do once he had eaten something himself.

“Thanks Ukyou!” Several of the dwarfs said as they grabbed their lunches with a smile. Kami wished them all a good day, relieved than even Clement now seemed content to have him staying here. He knew it had been a controversial decision to let a human live with them and was all the more grateful because of it.

Finishing his breakfast, he started on the washing up and tidying the kitchen before making his way around the house completing the chores that had already become his daily routine. By lunchtime he was glad for the break and ate a small meal pondering what he should do. He wanted to go back to the castle and return to planning a war but knew now that this was the worse decision that he could possibly make. He’d be bringing death and destruction upon Arnania. Mana’s power was far stronger than he had ever realised, for now he was sure the king had magic on his side.

‘Would I be happy to stay here?’ Kami wondered. This life was simple but he knew the dwarves truly liked him and would accept him as one of them in time. Perhaps then he could work in the mines. The idea troubled him, he couldn’t imagine a life like that or what he was living now. He wanted a family, he always had but his idea of family had begun to shift when he met Gackt. Perhaps what he wanted more than anything was to be loved?

The thoughts were not good ones, for they made him feel lonely and rather sad. He needed to distract himself and, remembering the cherry bushes in the garden, he decided he would try and bake them into a pie. The recipe hadn’t seemed so hard.

Once outside he found his dark mood lifting as quickly as it had come. It was a warm day, without the rain that seemed common in this region, and the birds were singing in the trees. It was peaceful to be picking the fruit and he found himself singing one of his favourite songs.

Movement in the fields beyond the garden brought his attention, but it was just a few rabbits. The dwarves trapped them sometimes for food he had learnt but the rabbits didn’t seem to be scared to come close. Perhaps they didn’t realise that the traps were being set by the dwarves, or they knew he was not one of them.

“He’s dead?” Gackt repeated, slumping in a chair without any regard to how this must look. The news was terrible, worse than he had feared, but he knew You wouldn’t lie to him. “Are you sure?”

“I had to send a spy into their castle,” You answered. “But it seems Kami was murdered by Yu~ki’s hands.”

“Did they treat his body with respect?” The Queen asked, ever practical. Glancing at his mother, Gackt wasn’t sure what to make of the expression she wore. Was that anger in her gaze, sorrow in the way she brought her lips together? The Queen had been fond of Kami. Surely he had become more than just a pawn in removing the tyrant king from power.

“There was no body,” You answered. “So, no funeral.”

“Did you give him blood?” The Queen asked her son, who regrettably shook his head. With a little of his blood, Kami could have healed quicker and survived what a human couldn’t.

“No, he knew what I was but I never thought to offer him any,” Gackt confessed. “He wouldn’t have agreed even if I had.”

“It seems likely they would have abandoned his corpse where he was murdered. In the lake perhaps, if it had been dark, or in the forest,” The Queen said thoughtfully. “It’s unlikely Prince Kamimura is alive but if his corpse is in Arnania, I want it found so we can conduct a proper burial.”

“That seems likely, there was no reports of seeing the prince in any of the towns on the way,” You confirmed. He moved to Gackt’s side and wrapped a supportive arm around the other. “We will find him. I promise.” His very actions were of course forbidden and inappropriate but Gackt needed comfort and neither of his parents said anything. They understood their son’s pain and that his bond with this particular guard had passed into friendship. You had been with him since childhood and everyone knew they were close to inseparable.

“His corpse will be consumed by phoenix flame.” The Queen declared, a funeral right of the highest honour that nobody questioned. Gackt glanced over at his mother with mild surprise, had Kami really had such influence over his mother that she was willing to send him off with the highest honours? He was sure he had heard right and whilst it gave him little comfort, such a funeral would at least make sure the other’s corpse would be sent to the next world with the utmost respect.


	12. Chapter 11: The Search for the Missing Prince

“I’m sorry for your loss.” Gackt said, having finished the formal greetings, as was expected of him. His people had been searching for Kami’s corpse for days, without any luck, which meant they needed to find the killer himself and ask him exactly what happened to Kami. Gackt was sure it was either Tetsu or Yu~ki but to get to either of them, he needed first to be allowed to stay in the castle.

“Kami’s death is a loss to us all,” Mana said calmly. “I thank you for travelling all this way to pass on your condolences.”

“It is the least I could do,” Gackt answered. “I would like to attend the funeral. I’ve heard you have not yet had one?”

“We have no body to bury, so no funeral has been planned,” Mana answered. “Such a tragic accident.”

“I was horrified when I heard,” Gackt answered truthfully. The official story, that he had heard as he passed through the kingdom, was that Kami’s horse had bolted and thrown Kami off somewhere in the woods and had been buried by his guards. Gackt had pondered if Kami could have been buried but nothing like a grave had been found in the forest. “He was such a good horseman as well.”

“He was,” Mana said, pausing as if he was thinking fondly on his lost step-son. “He enjoyed riding with you.”

“It was shared hobby.” Gackt answered. Talking to Mana had always been difficult for Gackt and even he, trained extensively in diplomacy as he was, found it hard to remain polite. The other’s ego was bad enough on its own. The cruelty that people had suffered at his hand was even worse. He was sure Mana had arranged for Kami’s death but without proof there wasn’t much he could do.

“Perhaps it was,” Mana said coldly. “But my son was lost because of it and seeing you reminds me of that loss. They say Arnania is full of monsters. I wonder, could it be one of them that spooked his horse?”

“What exactly are you implying?” Gackt asked, keeping his growing anger beneath the surface. It was obvious that Mana was trying to place the blame for the prince’s death on his people and he didn’t like it one bit.

“It seems rather strange that Kami died on Arnanian soil,” Mana said thoughtfully. “A less trusting man might think you wanted the prince out of your hair. Was the love match not to your liking? I know Kami was reluctant to fall in love.”

“Kami was a dear friend and we would have established a strong allegiance, with or without marriage,” Gackt answered sincerely. “A less trusting man might think that you were accusing my people of arranging his death as an excuse to declare war.”

“Yes, he might,” Mana agreed. “Well it’s lucky then that we are both trusting men.”

“So it is,” Gackt answered. “As there is no funeral, I will travel home as to not burden you but first, may I give my condolences to the guards that travelled with us? I’m sure they miss the prince greatly.”

“There is no need for you to leave so soon, you would be a much welcome guest,” Mana said, as if he hadn’t just been accusing Gackt’s family of arranging an accident to kill his step-son. “But if you insist, I will ask Tetsu to meet you in the courtyard.”

“Thank you.” Gackt said, bowing lower than he liked and heading outside. In his hurry to leave the tyrant king, he’d forgotten entirely to ask about Yu~ki. Perhaps Tetsu would know where he was?

The guard joined him quickly and Gackt tried to deduce if Tetsu would know where Kami’s body was buried. It soon came apparent that the other didn’t know anything, for he placed all responsibility on Yu~ki. Having the name of the killer, assuming Tetsu wasn’t lying, Gackt asked about his whereabouts.

“Nobody has seen Yu~ki or his girlfriend in days,” Tetsu answered. “It seems Kami’s death was too much for him and he decided to leave.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Gackt answered. “Do you have any idea where he may have gone?”

“No.” Tetsu answered rather unhelpfully. It was clear that the guard was done with the conversation and there wasn’t going to be anything else he could offer of on any help. Gackt thanked him politely and made to leave the castle.

Gackt’s visit had unnerved Mana, he couldn’t stop thinking about the location of Kami’s body. He hadn’t thought of it as important before now but perhaps he had been wrong. The mirror had believed Kami to be more beautiful than him but surely a corpse was not beautiful?

“Fetch me my mirror.” Mana ordered, not even trying to hide how irritated he had become. If this suspicion was right, he was going to be more than angry. The mirror was delivered quickly by its maker and Mana took it happily. Holding it in his hands for a moment before asking his favourite question.

“Kami is the most beautiful man in all the land.” The mirror answered.

“Your highness, the mirror isn’t fully prepared.” Klaha stammered apologetically.

“No, I think the mirror is working just fine,” Mana said, not liking the way Klaha was trying to take the mirror back off him. “Mirror, show me where Kami is.” He ordered. Sure enough, an image of the prince appeared in what looked like a forest. It was just as he had begun to expect and now he had proof. He pondered on the problem for a moment, wondering which guard was to blame. Yu~ki had claimed to make the kill and Tetsu hadn’t argued.

“Guards, bring Yu~ki to me now.” Mana ordered.

“Your highness, Yu~ki left the castle days ago with his girlfriend and has not been seen since.” A guard spoke up. It was all the proof that Mana needed. 

“Mirror, show me where Yu~ki is.” Mana ordered. Once he had the answer, he showed the image to everyone in the room. “Find him!”

“Yes your highness.” The guard said, bowing low and hurrying out of the room.

“Prince Camui!” A man shouted as he hurried after the prince who was just departing from the castle. Gackt turned to wait for him, though he had no idea who he was or why he was in such a hurry to talk.

“What’s the rush?” Gackt asked, as the man stopped by him to catch his breath. It took the stranger a little while to gather his breath but what came next was worth it.

“It’s Prince Kamimura,” The man got out. “I think he’s alive and Mana is looking for him, I think he wants him dead. Please, you need to get to him first.”

“How do you know this?” Gackt asked sceptically. As much as he had wanted to hear such news, he didn’t trust anyone in this kingdom to be honest with him.

“My name is Klaha, I’m the wizard who made the magic mirror that let’s Mana see things beyond these castle walls,” Klaha explained. “It was stolen to me. It showed Prince Kamimura in a forest, alive and well. I don’t know where but with the mirror, Mana will easily find him first.”

“Then how am I meant to get to him in time?” Gackt asked, still hesitant to accept Klaha at his word but knowing that he couldn’t do nothing.

“Maybe his guard knows?” Klaha suggested. “Yu~ki was supposed to kill him but if Kami is alive, it’s quite possible that Yu~ki is the reason for that. He left the castle with his girlfriend not long after he and Tetsu reported the tragic news. If anyone knows where Kami is without magic intervention, it would be him.”

“If he’s hiding from Mana, how am I meant to find him?” Gackt asked. “He’s hardly any more likely to trust me than the tyrant king.”

“Tyrant King?” Klaha repeated, “So Arnania do see him as the enemy? No matter, I’m not one of Mana’s men. I’m only here to get my mirror back.”

“Can you help me find Yu~ki or not?” Gackt asked, growing impatient.

“Head west until you reach the coast, there’s a small city by the shore line where Yuki’s girlfriend grew up. I’m sure that’s where he has gone,” Klaha answered. “Don’t look at me so sceptically. Yu~ki is quite easy to read.”

“He told you where he was going?” Gackt asked, even more sceptical than he had been before.

“I’m a wizard, I have magic, though it’s not like Mana’s,” Klaha confessed. “I saw him leaving in a rush and thought that knowing where he was going could be useful. That’s all. I wanted to protect him. He’s one of the few genuinely kind people around here.”  
“I believe you.” Gackt said simply. He turned his horse westward and broke into a gallop as soon as he was able. This could be a wild good chase, he could be getting Kami killed by going in the wrong direction but it was the only lead that he had.

Finding the city hadn’t been difficult, it was only a few hours ride from the castle and the urban sprawl was hard to miss. His horse had been run to exhaustion, so he found some stables that would rest her while he searched for Yu~ki. That was the hard part. He knew the other’s scent but didn’t have the capacity to truly track anyone like that. Besides, the sea breeze would make it hard for even a wolf shapeshifter to find anyone.

He asked around but without a picture nobody seemed to know anything. Yu~ki must be using a fake name or simply wasn’t here. The first would lead Gackt to believe that Klaha had been honest with him. Kami could very well be alive and every minute he wasted could be time that Mana was approaching the prince.

As night fell, he grew frustrated and finding cover he took on his bat form to fly above the city and see if he could find any clues. The humans were slowly heading home to rest, perhaps Yu~ki was already under a roof? What would he do if he couldn’t find him?

Suddenly he spotted a familiar face and moved lower to check that he hadn’t been mistaken. No, this woman had been at the castle which meant she at least knew Yu~ki. He landed before her, taking on his human form before he even reached the ground which naturally made her scream.

“Where is he? Where is Yu~ki?” He snarled. He fangs were showing, he realised as the woman began to shake in fear. She was terrified, she wouldn’t even be able to give her name when she was like this. He’d been reckless. This wasn’t Arnania where people were used to this kind of thing. His mother would scold him for what he had just done. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I just need to know.”

“Please,” She begged, tears beginning to fall. “Don’t kill him. I know he failed Mana and…”

“Since when was I Mana’s killer?” Gackt asked. “You must know I’m from Arnania?”

“No, I just knew you were a foreign prince courting Kami…. Wait, wouldn’t that put you on Kami’s side?”

“Yes!” Gackt exclaimed. “That’s why I need to speak to Yu~ki. I need to know where Kami is before Mana finds him.”

“I’m here,” Yu~ki spoke up from somewhere behind him. Turning Gackt found the former guard approaching with a crossbow in hand. It was aimed at the floor and the guard looked more wary than anything else. “Let Hitomi go. This is between us.”

“Of course,” Gackt said, though the woman merely ran behind Yu~ki and not away as he was sure they both preferred. “Did you kill him?”

“I was ordered to,” Yu~ki responded. “I tried to but… I couldn’t. Kami was always so kind and never once complained. I faked his death and took his father’s ring as payment. I guess I thought if I ever did see Kami again, I could give it back to him.”

“It looks like I don’t need to kill you,” Gackt said. It wasn’t that he entirely believed Yu~ki’s story, only that combined with Klaha’s words it was the story that made most sense. His people hadn’t found a body and they had searched everywhere. Really the only explanation other that the body been moved out of the kingdom was that there wasn’t one. “Where is Kami?”

“He ran into the forest,” Yu~ki answered. “He’ll be hiding in your kingdom somewhere, or somewhere else. I don’t know where he is.”

“Give me his ring, I’ll give it to him myself when I find him.” Gackt ordered. Without hesitation Yu~ki handed the band of metal over.

“Please, I spared him, so spare us,” Yu~ki begged. “Don’t tell anybody that we’re here. I don’t even know how you found us!”

“Mana has a magic mirror, he can find you as soon as he’s done with Kami,” Gackt answered. “Find a witch or wizard and get protection then run far from here. If you’re lucky, that will be enough. If you’re luckier, there won’t be a Mana to worry about.”

“You mean to kill him?” Yu~ki realised. Ignoring him, Gackt went to fetch his horse. If Kami was in the forest and hadn’t been found it meant only one thing; the creatures of the forest were protecting him. He hoped their influence would be enough to buy him the time to find Kami first.


	13. Chapter 12: An Injured Girl

The knock on the door surprised Kami, for the dwarves never knocked and nobody else ever came near. Perhaps one of the dwarves in the area had come to visit? Or worse, he had been found by the people of Balourin. Nervously he peeked out of an upside window, easily spotting the young woman below. She looked no older than sixteen and was clearly injured. He rushed down the stairs to open the door and let her in. He’d been in much the same condition when he had arrived here, so he had nothing but sympathy for her.

“Hello,” Kami greeted her with a smile. Her hair was as blond as one of the far northern princes Mana had once introduced him to, he had admired such a hair colour on that man, even more so on the woman before him. Her eyes were a sapphire blue, shining like gemstones, and her lips were painted ruby red. His heart beat quickly in his chest as he admired her, even though he knew she was really too young for him. She was everything he had ever wished for in a woman, at least visually. “You look injured. I can help clean your wounds.”

“They’re just scratches,” The woman explained. “But if you could help clean them, I’d be grateful.”

“Of course, I will,” Kami agreed without hesitation. Helping her to the sofa, he heated some water and began cleaning the wounds as the dwarfs had once done for him. “My name is Ukyou.”

“I’m Marie-Anne,” The woman, or perhaps girl was more appropriate, said with a kind smile. “You’ve been so good to me. I don’t have much to give you but I noticed there was fruit growing in the garden. Perhaps I could harvest if for you?”

“It’s all right, just rest.” Kami answered. The woman reluctantly gave in and he continued cleaning the wounds that had looked worse than they actually. Once done he cleaned up the supplies but before he was finished, he heard the sounds of the front door being opened and closed. Concerned he hurried outside, but Marie-Anne was merely picking an apple from the tree that Kami swore did not have fruit the day before. It was too early in the year for apples, but the evidence was right there.

“Here, at least accept this one apple as my thank you.” Marie-Anne said, accepting Kami’s gentle scolding as just the other being concerned for her wellbeing.

“If you insist,” Kami said. He accepted the bright red apple as he once again pondered how the fruit had grown over night. “This apple, it’s magic.” He realised. Marie-Anne merely smiled and he forgot all about his worries. His focus was on the fruit in his hand as he felt a strong compulsion to eat it. Something was wrong here. The fruit wasn’t real, thought it felt like it was. Magic… Mana used magic.

He lost to the compulsion and bit deep into the apple, which was juicy and sweet. It was the most delicious apple he had ever tasted in his life but even as he savoured it, the fruit in his hand fell to the floor.

“You will never have my throne,” Marie-Anne said, her smile now seeming more cruel than innocent, as it had seemed before. As Kami stood frozen, he recognised that smile and the illusion before him fell away. “You are a fool. All you needed to do was marry a prince and live far, far away, but you couldn’t even do that. You plotted against me, how you even though that would turn out in your favour, I don’t know. You’ve always been so innocent, so trusting, so weak.”

“Mana!” Kami gasped but whatever was in the magic fruit was taking hold. His vision was going black, his voice mute and then he could no longer hear Mana’s voice at all.

‘I am a fool’. Kami thought before even his thoughts were gone and all that remained was nothing.

He woke to the warmth of another’s mouth on his, giving birth to mild curiosity. Who was kissing him? Surely not Mana, he’d hate that. Alarmed he opened his eyes to find it was Gackt who was pulling away from him. Terrified of losing him once again, he reached up and grabbed hold of Gackt’s shirt.

“Oh thank god!” Gackt gasped, pulling Kami into his arms. The prince was shaking and Kami clung to him, knowing that right now he was exactly where he needed to be.

“Mana poisoned me, with an apple?” Kami said, now unsure of what had happened. Perhaps that had been bad dream and this was a good one? It felt real though. Looking around he realised he was in a glass box. His coffin perhaps? What was going on? Could vampires go into the world of the dead?

“Is that how he did it?” Gackt asked.

“Well he didn’t look like Mana!” Kami protested, not wanting the other to think of him as a fool, though he certainly felt like one. “He was disguised as a young woman, a girl really, and she was hurt. I helped her and in return she gave me the apple and then…”

“Then you died,” Gackt finished, as Kami seemed confused to what happened next. “The dwarves here placed your body in to a coffin and were performing their burial rituals when I got here. I was too late but you hadn’t begun to rot at all. I risked giving you my blood, though I’m only a little vampire myself and thank the gods it was enough to revive you!”

“How did you find me?” Kami asked. He still could hardly believe that it really was Gackt with him. Perhaps this was another part of Mana’s cruel spell?

“I found out you were alive and started asking questions of the denizens of the forest. A dwarf remembered sending some supplies here, so I came looking but I was too late.” Gackt apologised. He was crying, Kami realised rather surprised by this turn of events. He hadn’t thought that Gackt was the type to cry but he was clearly wrong about that.

“I’m glad you found me.” Kami said, wrapping his arms around Gackt and clinging to the other as if he may just die again if he let go. The moment didn’t last for long, as the dwarves all wanted a turn to tell him just how happy they were that he hadn’t truly died. Even Clement seemed pleased, which surprised Kami as he hadn’t realised that the dwarf even saw him as a friend. Finally the dwarves headed inside to prepare a celebratory feast in his honour and Kami took in how much work had been done for his funeral. The coffin was made from glass and gemstones, filled with so many flowers that now he was no longer in it he wondered how his body had even fit inside. Around the coffin were more flowers and offerings of fruits from the garden. Nervously he glanced over at the apple tree, which no longer appeared to bare any fruit. Perhaps even that had been an illusion.

“They really cared about you,” Gackt said, wrapping an arm around Kami’s waist. “I don’t blame them.”

“I missed you,” Kami confessed. “More than anything, you were the one I wanted to be by my side.”

“Well I am very charming.” Gackt joked, surprised when Kami’s lips broke his laughter. They kissed tenderly, feeling safe in the knowledge that they had one another.

“Mana called me a fool, for not agreeing to marry you and seeing what he’s capable of…” “You’re no fool.” Gackt interrupted.

“But I am!” Kami protested. “I never gave you a chance, even when we became friends…. I was too lost in my dreams of a family but I know now, I don’t need children to feel loved. All I need is someone who cares for me. That man is you. What I’m trying to say is… Well…”

“I have you ring,” Gackt said in the silence that followed. It seemed Kami wasn’t going to be able to find the words to express how he was feeling but that didn’t matter, Gackt already knew exactly what the other was trying to say. He took the ring from the chain around his neck and slid it onto the ring finger of Kami’s left hand. “Consider us engaged. Until the moment you believe I can’t be your one, I claim you.”

“Gackt…” Kami stammered, staring down at the ring and then back at the prince. “You’re cheap! Using my own ring to do this!”

“My gift will be to give you back your kingdom.” Gackt promised, as they kissed once more.

“I don’t see this as an engagement!” Kami warned, as he began to come to terms with what Gackt had just done. “But I’ll wear the ring as a promise to you. That this time I really do want to try and build an everlasting love with you. Which on that subject, are you immortal?”

“No,” Gackt answered. “I’ll probably die old, perhaps around a hundred or so, but I won’t need to spend an eternity missing you.”

“And your blood inside me? Will that change me?” Kami worried.

“For a short while you might find your senses are better than they once were,” Gackt answered. “But no, the blood hasn’t changed you. You’re still Kami. The rightful king of Balourin.”

“Prince Kamimura, The Undying.” Kami answered with a smile.

“Well you did actually die and telling people you revived will only scare them,” Gackt reminded him. “We shouldn’t stay here long. When Mana uses his magic mirror and finds that you are still alive, he’ll come after you again. After we celebrate with the dwarves, we need to get back to the castle. My parents will be so relieved to see that you are well.”

“But Mana can change his appearance, would I be safe?” Kami worried.

“Yes,” Gackt promised. “You only know the beginning of what lies in this kingdom. Mana will never be able to get near the castle, never mind inside. I promise you; You will be safe.”

“I believe you,” Kami said. “Hey, how come the dwarves trusted you? They don’t really like humans that much, from what I gather.”

“Yet these men, they love you.” Gackt reminded Kami. This funeral site had been proof of that.

“That doesn’t answer my question.” Kami said, wondering why Gackt was being deceptive with him.

“Who knows what they think of me,” Gackt said with a shrug. “The royal family own the mines around here and as the prince they have no choice but to respect me.”

“Wait, does that mean that the gems on my coffin were stolen?” Kami realised, a little alarmed. He didn’t want his friends to be in trouble for his sake.

“That’s a very good question.” Gackt said. He hadn’t wondered before, Kami thought, doubly concerned as they entered the cottage where he had been saying.

“You’ve prepared so much already!” Kami exclaimed, surprised at how much food was already on the table.

“We were ready for your funeral.” Preston said with a shrug.

“The coffin outside?” Gackt prompted, before Kami could discus the catering any further. It seemed preventing him from asking wasn’t going to help the situation at hand.

“We borrowed some gemstones,” Winston explained, once again taking on the responsibility as the leader. “As a foreign prince we planned to ship the coffin straight to the castle. The gems would have been with you one way or another.”

“You knew I was a prince?” Kami said, taken back by the acknowledgement.

“Obviously, we’re not stupid!” Winston said with a kind smile.

“The fairies must have seen us picking the flowers for your mother,” Gackt explained, gently pulling Kami out of the way of the busy cooks. “When you ran into the forest, they probably protected you.”

“I fell and hurt my head.” Kami remembered. “I don’t know how long I was unconscious but I did feel lucky that no animal had come for me. I wasn’t attacked in the night either, when I slept in a tree and then I found this cottage by following a stream. Was this all thanks to the fairies?”

“I believe so,” Gackt answered. “Fairies are even more elusive than dwarves, at least when it comes to humans, but they knew you were important and kept watch from afar. Nobody reaches the dwarves here without the fairies blessing.”

“Except Mana.” Kami reminded him.

“Except Mana,” Gackt agreed sombrely. “I wonder how he managed that? Certainly it’s a matter to be brought up with the fairies. We will visit an ambassador when we leave at first light tomorrow. I’ll give you until then to say your goodbyes.”  
“I really am leaving here.” Kami said out loud, slowly coming to terms with the idea. This wasn’t his home but for the short time he had been here, he had been happy. His words brought the dwarves gazes over to them but not one said a word. It was as if they already knew that he would leave. In a way, this was still going to be his funeral, for in the dwarves’ eyes there was little difference between his death and a long goodbye.


	14. Chapter 13: The Fairy Circle

Leaving the dwarves had been a rather sombre affair and Kami had even shed a few tears as he hugged each one goodbye. In this cottage, he had taken a break from his regular life and he had appreciated the simple honest way of living. This was the life most people wanted, Kami had concluded. A life with enough to get by comfortably and a family who supported you. Were the people or Balourin living like this, or were they to fearful of their king to ever be truly free of worry?

It all felt real now, not just a tale from a book, but his own reality. His own step father had tried to kill him and had taken pleasure in the attempt. He most likely had been the same, when his father had died or was murdered at Mana’s hand. He would never forgive Mana, or crimes that the other had committed. The one blessing of Mana’s meddling in his life was that it had brought him to Gackt.

Shyly he glanced over at the prince who was leading his horse by the reins as they passed through the forest. They’d been walking in silence for almost an hour now, the other man’s focus on finding signs of the fairies that lived here. He was so intense that it would be frightening, had Kami not known that Gackt’s intention was only to protect him. If there had ever been any doubt of Gackt’s affection for him, it was long gone. This prince would stay by his side until he won back his throne and then beyond as an ambassador for his kingdom. Kami never wanted to let the other go but to keep Gackt like he now desired, would that mean giving up his dream of children?

“There, a fairy ring.” Gackt said, pointing a little to the left. Surprised, as he had no idea what Gackt had been looking for, Kami turned to see a circle of mushrooms unlike any he had ever seen before. There seemed to be several varieties, deep purple mushrooms with a wide flat head, a turquoise one that grew long and tall and a pale pink variety that looked like an oval that had been pinched in the middle to form almost two circles on the top.

“I’ve never seen mushrooms like this before.” Kami said, staring at the mushrooms as if they may suddenly animate and bring him harm. Weren’t there poisons made from mushrooms? He was sure he had read something like that in one of his books.

“Well there’s aren’t fairies in your kingdom.” Gackt said gently. He handed his horses reins to Kami and carefully stepped into the middle of the circle. Without a word he sat down in the centre and waited silently for the fairies to emerge.

Minutes passed without anything happening but slowly, one by one, the mushrooms broke open and a fairy emerged from inside. There were four fairies in total, two from the purple mushrooms and two from the pink, all female and each with wings and hair that matched the mushroom they had come from. They flew around Gackt, as if to stretch their wings, before noticing Kami.

“You brought a full-blood human to us?” A pink haired fairy asked.

“Shh, that’s prince Kamimura!” The other pink haired fairy scolded her.

“Ladies, I need to speak with your queen, is she around?” Gackt asked as the fairies began to bicker and gossip with one another.

“Queen Flora is…” A fairy began.

“Right here,” A female voice could be heard from behind Kami. Startled he turned to see the queen sat on the back of the horse and found he was unable to look away from her beauty. Her wings shone yellow and gold, whilst the dress she wore was a dazzling silver and white. Her hair represented both colours, as if spun by both sun and moonlight and rested within it was a crown of tiny flowers. She was smiling as she took flight, growing to human proportions as she landed before Kami. To his surprise the fairy queen bowed low before him. “Forgive me, your highness, we failed you.”

“What happened?” Gackt asked, as he too approached the queen.

“The tyrant king broke through some of my finest,” Queen Flora explained, after she had risen to her feet, “Our numbers are depleted, you see just four fairies from this circle. The others are not asleep, they are injured or worse.”

“He is that powerful?” Gackt asked. “I knew he had magic but…”

“Dark magic is crippling to creatures of light, but the reverse is also true,” Flora explained, for Kami’s benefit. “I can see you are a child of light, there is no doubt of that. Your kind heart is clear for all to see. You are a beauty beyond compare. Prince or servant, my kind would be happy to help a man like you. Unfortunately, we are in no condition to help anymore.”

“You’ve done enough, you helped me get to the cottage, did you not?” Kami asked.

“We did,” Flora said with a smile. “You are troubled, I see that. You need not be. Daisy, bring the prince the protective charm we made for him.”

“It’ll protect you from magic.” Gackt explained, as a pink haired fairy, Daisy, darted off to fetch the charm.

“Magic, poison, words spoken with wicked intention,” Flora corrected. “You will know when somebody means you harm.”

“Thank you, I’m blessed to receive such a gift.” Kami said, just as Daisy returned. She too grew to human proportions, before placing a necklace around Kami’s neck. He felt it’s power, a pleasant warmth against his skin. This would help him face Mana, he knew that for certain.

“You will take back your throne, for it is yours by rights,” Flora said, placing a kiss on kami’s cheek. “The armies of Arnania will fight beside you. I see that clearly in your future.”

“My people will march the moment my Mother gives her word, we are ready.” Gackt confirmed.

“As for the matters of your heart, which troubles you most,” Flora said, “I see two possibilities lying in store for you. You will be happy either way, but both will require a sacrifice of pure love. Will you choose the one your heart desires, or choose a partner who you will never completely love but will bring forth an entirely different kind of affection?”

“What are you saying?” Kami asked, startled by the fairy’s words.

“You already know,” Flora said, leaning close to whisper into Kami’s ear. “The man before you, he is who your heart will always crave but to choose him, means giving up the love of your son.”

“I can’t make that choice!” Kami exclaimed. “Are you saying they’re my only options?”

“You will have only one true love,” Flora whispered. “But choosing him only means giving up children that carry your blood. You can have your family. I know who I would choose.”

“It’s not such an easy decision!” Kami protested, troubled by Flora’s prediction. He glanced at Gackt, who was making no signs that he knew what had been said between them, and slowly it sunk in what Flora was telling him. He would never love anyone as much as Gackt, they both knew that much to be true.

Flora smiled fondly at Kami and was about to say something else when her expression became one of concern. Around his neck the necklace had grown warmer and nervously Kami looked around for a sign of a threat.

“Scrying magic,” Flora concluded, “It looks like we got the charm to you just in time.”

“Kami’s presence can not be found.” The mirror spoke, after it had finished searching for the prince at Mana’s request. Surprised Klaha knew better than to speak up, especially not when the answer pleased Mana. The king was smiling, perhaps assuming that the failure to find Kami meant that he was now truly dead. Klaha knew better, Kami wouldn’t have rotted away enough for the mirror not to find him, not yet. Did these mean the prince was still alive? He’d travelled to Arnania once, when he had been young, and knew that it was a kingdom like no other. Logic proved to Klaha that Kami had not only survived, but gained a magical ally, but he didn’t dare let on that he knew.

“It’s true then,” Mana said, the smile only lasting for a heartbeat before it was gone. “The Arnanians have hurt our dear prince?”

He was a good actor, Klaha had to give him that. Watching from the sides he saw Mana spin a tale of the betrayal of Arnania and how this was surely a reason to call for war. He’d been waiting for an excuse, Klaha thought, as he quietly picked up the mirror from where Mana had left it and stepped off to one side. If he left and Mana noticed the mirror was gone, he’d be in just as much trouble as the Arnanians, but Mana was no longer thinking of anything but furthering his plans to invade.

Quickly a war council was called and as Mana left, Klaha hurried back to his rooms. What to do? He could take his mirror and run, perhaps to the Arnanians to give them aid? But then what of the innocents here. One by one he had been removing the spells Mana had placed on the palace staff, developing a small band of allies of his own. No, he couldn’t leave, he must continue his work.

“Mirror, show me Prince Camui.” Klaha asked, his request more of a suggestion than Mana’s fierce demands. The mirror swirled to life, before declaring its failure. Gackt was with Kami then, whatever spell he was using must be strong. This was good, if only he could send a warning to Arnania. They needed to know that Mana was preparing his armies. More importantly, they needed to know that unless Kami was present, they would have no privacy from this mirror in his hand.

Not for the first time since coming here, Klaha debated breaking the mirror to keep it out of Mana’s hands, but he just couldn’t do it. This mirror was the result of so much of his time and efforts, so much of his magic was inside, he couldn’t just break it. Besides, wasn’t breaking a mirror supposed to be bad luck? Right now he couldn’t risk that, he needed all the good fortune he could get, if he and his mirror were going to make it out of this castle anytime soon.

“Mirror, show me an ally who will take a message quickly to Arnania.” Klaha requested, relieved when he recognised the face that appeared. He knew this woman, knew she would do just as he required and, thanks to the mirror, he knew she would not betray him.

“Thank you, mirror.” He said, with honest gratitude. The mirror shone slightly in its pleasure before taking on its normal form. Even this inanimate object did better when it was praised, or perhaps he was just biased enough to believe that.

The necklace had been cold for a good hour before Kami finally accepted that whoever had been trying to spy on him had now given up. He was convinced it had to be Mana and was pleased that the fairy magic was now protecting him. Was that how Mana had known he was not dead and where to go to finish the deed?

“We shouldn’t speak of any plans without this necklace,” Kami said as they continued the long walk through the forest. “Mana could be watching at any moment.”

“Your right to be concerned,” Gackt said. “But there’s spellcasters in Arnania who can ward of any room from magical scrying. We were foolish not to think of this before. I didn’t know he had a wizard’s mirror.”

“I should have warned you,” Kami realised. “I saw it before I left the castle but I never thought Mana would use it against me. I was ignorant to believe that Mana would never hurt me. I honestly believed that deep down he cared.”

“He fooled a lot of people.” Gackt said tactfully.

“I was naïve,” Kami corrected. “And it made me foolish. A king should never be so trusting.”

“I disagree,” Gackt answered, “You are kind and believe the best in people. A man like you, should be king.”

“But if I trust the wrong person…” Kami began.

“Then I will warn you,” Gackt finished. “You do trust me, don’t you?”

“You know I do.” Kami said. Then, with Flora’s words still fresh in his mind, he moved to kiss Gackt. He felt the other tense in surprise and then he took the lead, kissing Kami with such tenderness that it felt like all evils in the world were being erased.

“Is this to mean you’ve chosen your sacrifice?” Gackt asked. It didn’t surprise Kami in the slightest that Gackt had heard his conversation with the fairy queen. He’d suspected that whispering would not be enough.

“It means I’m exploring the option,” Kami said, flashing Gackt a teasing smile. “After all, what does one kiss mean?”

“In the stories of fairies, a kiss means everything.” Gackt warned. Sceptically Kami found himself teasing the other prince for believing such things. A kiss was a kiss, nothing more, nothing less. He had to make up his mind one day, the love from a lover, or the love from his own child, but right now he could remain at the crossroads. Just a little bit longer and then, hopefully, he’d figure out his way. 


	15. Chapter 14: The Night of The Full Moon

“She’s coming.” Gackt said, though he didn’t sound concerned by this revelation so Kami assumed it was no threat. Sleepily Kami opened his eyes but saw no signs of life across the lake. They were almost back then, he thought, relieved that he would only have to stay sitting on this horse a little while longer. It seemed dying wasn’t so good for your stamina for he had been met with pure exhaustion a couple of hours before. He was still recovering he supposed. Perhaps the vampire blood inside him was already wearing away, leaving his own body to heal itself.

“The queen?” Kami guessed, ideally realising that somebody had already brought up the bridge across the lake. Had it been left this way, or had somebody already spotted their arrival? Either way, he was glad to see that there wouldn’t be this small delay.

“No, the heir.” Gackt corrected. The heir? He meant his own sister, Kami concluded as he scanned ahead trying to see her. He remembered the princess Mizuki well enough, though they hadn’t spoken much when he was last in the castle, she had seemed nice. Mana had once seemed nice to him. Was he really so easily fooled?

“I don’t see her.” Kami admitted. Even taking into account that she may just be able to change into some other form, there was no signs of life approaching.

“Above,” Gackt corrected. “Humans never think to look up, do they?”

“Don’t talk as if…” Kami began. He was about to say as if Gackt wasn’t one, but he wasn’t and it would have been a foolish statement to make. He looked up as he had been guided and finally saw the black bird approaching. “A bird?”

“A raven,” Gackt concluded. “At least today.”

“She’s more of a shapeshifter than you are?” Kami guessed, as the raven descended towards them. Gackt didn’t answer but he knew he was right. He ponded on what else Mizuki might be able to become but thought it might be rude to ask. Hadn’t Gackt previously advised not to expect the citizens of Arnania to confess their true nature to him?

Before him the dark bird became a young woman with equally dark hair, not quite as long as her mother’s but still a length that brought many an admiring gaze. She was equally parts happy and relieved, Kami thought as she hurried over to greet them both.

“You found him! Alive no less!” She exclaimed.

“Only just.” Kami said, wondering if he should dismount from the horse. He was so tired but these people deserved his respect. He half fell, half dismounted the horse and stumbled as he tried to bow.

“There’s no need for that!” Mizuki scolded him. “You’ve clearly been through a lot. It’s ok, we’ll take you straight to a room where you can rest.”

“I’m not so bad.” Kami protested, slowly moving to walk across the bridge. Every step was exhausting and he soon found himself clinging onto the horse for support. To their credit, neither of the siblings who accompanied him tried to prevent him from making his own way to the castle. Sleepily he listened to Gackt explain what had happened, many details new to him though he couldn’t find the energy to ponder on any of it.

“I’ll tell Mother that you are resting.” Mizuki promised, hurrying off to do just that.

“She’s my other option, isn’t she?” Kami muttered as he was helped upstairs. The statement made Gackt pause for a moment, before carrying on as if he hadn’t heard Kami’s words. Still, the futures that had been laid out for Kami spoke only off two possibilities. He could be with Gackt, his true love, and he would be happy but without child. Or he could marry out of duty, a woman he cared about but did not love, and have the children his heart had always desired. Right now, when Gackt was by his side, the decision seemed already made for him. “I don’t mean that I love her. But she is beautiful and kind. If I married her, the kingdoms would be united and Arnania would have the power over Balourin that it craves. Your mother would not object to such a match.”

“I would,” Gackt said. “And power is what Mana craves, not my mother. She wishes… I suppose her desire is to make sure the people of Balourin are as happy as the people who live here. As king, I have no doubt you will carry out such a wish all by yourself. I see no need for a marriage tie between the kingdoms, at least not a political one. When Mother hears of Queen Flora’s words, she too will share my conviction. Still, I will be an ambassador of Arnania, if you wanted me there.”

“I want you there.” Kami answered. Once again Gackt didn’t answer him and Kami was too sleepy to press him on the matter. When he entered the room he had stayed in previously, and saw the inviting bed, there was only one thing on his mind.

“Need help undressing?” Gackt asked. Kami supposed he was flirting, though perhaps Gackt was genuinely concerned.

“I’ll sleep in my clothes.” Kami muttered, sitting on the edge of the bed to take off his boots. Still Gackt didn’t leave, instead kneeling before him to help remove the boots. It looked like he was about to propose, but the ring on his finger reminded Kami that Gackt had already done just that. He’d agreed to be Gackt’s once, hadn’t he? When he was so happy to be reunited that he had forgotten all his concerns.

“What’s wrong?” Gackt asked.

“Nothing.” Kami said, forcing a fake smile. As soon as the boots were off, he lay on the bed with his back to the other. A gentleman would leave then, he was obviously in no condition to talk. Instead the bed shifted a minute later as Gackt joined him.

“I’m here, there’s no need for concern.” Gackt said, wrapping an arm around Kami and holding him close. There was nothing that could be said to such kindness, not when he was so tired and confused. Perhaps he was wrong to trust Gackt? Kami thought, feeling guilty the moment the idea went through his mind. This was the one man he knew he could trust. A man who had saved him, a man who loved him. If only Gackt could give him everything but thanks to Flora, Kami now knew that would never be his fate.

“I accept.” Kami muttered, as he drifted off.

“Accept what?” Gackt asked, but there was no answer.

It had been dark when he had fallen asleep and it was dark when he woke up. Confused Kami got out of the bed, which he had woken up in alone, and wondered just how much time had passed. He was starving, had he slept all night and then through the next day? He was well rested, so he assumed that he must have done just that.

The curtains were open, revealing the full moon high in the sky. The legends spoke of the full moon doing crazy things to people and Kami wondered if perhaps such stories had originated from those who were not human. However when he went on search of a meal, there was nothing out of the ordinary in the castle. He was just finishing eating when Gackt found him, the prince smiling as he sat opposite and let Kami finish eating before saying a word.

“Looks like you’re finally up, we were beginning to worry.” Gackt admitted.

“Is this because I died?” Kami worried. “Will there be lasting affects like this?”

“It’s because you died,” Gackt confirmed. “The vampire blood could only do so much but the doctor reassured me that you were healing. I’m sorry, I wouldn’t have made you travel all the way here in a single day had I realised. I pushed you too far.”

“You didn’t push me to do anything,” Kami answered. “I suppose you’ve already spoken to the Queen?”

“Yes,” Gackt answered. “She wants to speak to you too, of course, but I filled her in on most things. Our conversation did get interrupted though. It sounds like Mana is already bringing his armies to us.”

“Why would Mana want to start a war?” Kami wondered.

“Does it matter?” Gackt asked. “We were going to fight him anyway and this way, we can insure it’s on our own land.”

“We were going to have to face him anyway.” Kami agreed. Why then did the idea of war unsettle him so much? He knew that a man who had tried to kill him twice, wasn’t a man to be negotiated with.

“You don’t want to talk about war,” Gackt correctly concluded. “And while you’re recovering, perhaps it’s best for there to be no stress. It’s the full moon tonight anyway, not like a war council will be held.”  
“Is there a reason for that?” Kami asked but Gackt merely nodded and did not answer. Realising that Gackt wanted to speak to him alone, he followed the prince outside into the gardens where they found a quite place to sit and talk. Before Gackt had even said a word, a black wolf approached them with a second wolf not far behind. The pair sat side by side, like a dog might, for a long moment as if evaluating the situation. Clearly satisfied, the first wolf moved back into the shadows and the second wolf followed. He didn’t need to ask, he’d already figured out the wolf was the king and younger prince.

“The moon calls to shapeshifters of all kinds,” Gackt explained. “To run, to fly, to swim, to reproduce or even fight. Lunacy can do strange things to a person. That’s why we don’t hold a war council on a full moon.”

“Does it call to you to?” Kami wondered.

“I feel the moon’s pull,” Gackt confirmed. “Strangely it speaks to my vampire side. Like I said, lunacy is strange.”

“Your vampire side,” Kami repeated. “You want my blood, don’t you?”

“Always, but that doesn’t mean I’m about to drink from you.” Gackt responded.

“Is that so?” Kami said, though he believed Gackt and had no reason for concern. Perhaps even on the next full moon he might even offer Gackt some but he knew right now that would be a bad idea.

“I will never take from you, at least I don’t want to take,” Gackt said, sounding regretful. “But I can’t give you exactly what you want and I can tell that it’s troubling you. If you choose Mizuki, I won’t stand in your way.”

“I won’t choose her,” Kami answered, surprised at how certain he was in this decision. “I can’t live happily without a true partner by my side. Somebody who I trust completely, who will protect me from trusting the wrong people again. Gackt, do you truly want to stay by my side?”

“I do.” Gackt answered.

“Then this engagement is official,” Kami declared. “We can adopt children and whilst they will never truly love me the way my own child was destined to do, that doesn’t matter. I will love them.”

“Any child we adopt, will be lucky to have your love.” Gackt answered. He was smiling, Kami realised as he smiled back. He’d never seen the other look so happy. This was the right decision, the destiny he was supposed to walk was already laid out for him.

“If this is my future, let’s hope that it means Mana will not win.” Kami declared. Unless choosing Gackt meant his demise, was that why he would never have a child’s love?

“Mana doesn’t stand a chance,” Gackt agreed, with so much confidence that it pushed Kami’s doubts aside. “We will meet him on the field of war and end his frightful reign.”

“Agreed,” Kami replied. “But right now, I don’t want to talk of such things. I just want to be with you, happy and content.”

“Happy?” Gackt repeated. “I know a way to make you more than that.”

“You do?” Kami asked, but then Gackt was kissing him and he forgot the question entirely. His lover, his fiancé, his destined one…. He was right here by his side, just where he belonged and together they would be happy. Kami was sure of that.


	16. Chapter 15: An Act of Trust

Gackt wasn’t used to being nervous and it unsettled him more because he was. He made a joke, watching as Kami’s expectant look turned to one of impatience, as he scolded him for making such a silly pun. He’d hoped to delay things but he had bought himself a few seconds at best. He was going to have to do this then, though he was starting to think now would be the perfect time for another of Mana’s assassins to attack. There had already been one but she hadn’t gotten close to whoever they were targeting before the magical defensives had been triggered by the malevolent presence within the castle walls. It had made the anticipation of the danger they were in intensify, thought Gackt suspected that the assassin may not have even come from Mana himself. Anyone could be trying to score favours with their king.

“Were you lying to me?” Kami teased. “You don’t seem able to change forms at all!”

“I was lying,” Gackt confirmed, giving Kami a quick kiss. “Trying to impress you.”

“You’re lying now, you just don’t want to,” Kami responded. “You could just say you don’t want to show me. I won’t mind.”  
“No, I should show you.” Gackt said. If showing his other form was enough to scare Kami away, it was best done sooner rather than later. Surely then it would hurt less. One way or another, this was going to happen and so he changed forms and took to the sky without daring to take in Kami’s expression. He didn’t want to know if the other was initially horrified, for such emotions could be replaced quickly, if given the space to be logically thought out. By the time he landed, he would have the conclusion the other came to and not the initial shock.

He rose higher in the sky, the daylight brighter than he would like but not so much to cause discomfort. Down below Kami was looking up into the sky, watching him or perhaps simply trying to find him. Looking down Gackt concluded that Kami didn’t seem to have reacted negatively to the transformation and he felt relieved. He’d know Kami loved him but now he also knew Kami accepted him in his entirety. It was exactly what he had needed, without knowing how much until this moment. He landed before Kami, becoming human once more and giving his partner a smile.

“Thank you, for trusting me this much.” Kami said, as he wrapped his arms around Gackt and simply held him close. It surprised Gackt to realise that Kami had figured out what a big deal this was to him. He’d tried to play this off as insignificant, though of course it wasn’t.

“It’s no big deal.” Gackt said, almost uncomfortable with the affection he was being shown. When he had first met Kami, he had been so shy, but the more time they spent together the more he saw Kami open up to him. There was a confident man beneath that shyness and Gackt found himself falling in love with him all over again.

“Let’s go inside.” Kami suggested, slipping out of the embrace and taking Gackt’s hand without waiting for an answer. Obediently Gackt followed, sensing something had changed between them but not entirely sure what that could be.

He was led through to castle and into the room where Kami had been staying without questioning anything. It was clear Kami wanted to be alone with him and whilst he suspected why, he didn’t want to get his hopes up.

His fiancé, how strange it was to think of Kami like that, hugged him once more, though this time the embrace contained a hint of desperation. The kiss that followed was filled with passion and in that moment Gackt knew that Kami was ready to progress their relationship to its natural conclusion.

Only, Kami hadn’t been with a man before, hadn’t really been loved at all. If this kiss was to progress where Gackt wanted it to go, he was going to have to take some control from the other. Carefully he began to help Kami undress, allowing the kiss to be led by the other, for Kami to hold him close, as if letting go would make him turn back into a bat and fly far away. As if he could leave Kami. As if he could be so cruel.

For as long as it had taken Kami to get comfortable with the idea of them being together, Gackt had expected the other to be nervous but there were no signs of that at all. Kami knew what he wanted, what they both wanted and it was a welcome surprise.

He stepped back once he had undressed Kami, allowing his gaze to sweep over the other, openly allowing how pleased he was to be expressed in the look he gave the other. Kami was beautiful, he had always thought that, and like this he was enticing on a whole new level.

“Let me undress you,” Kami scolded as Gackt began to undress. “It’s only fair.”

“If you like.” Gackt agreed, delighted by the request. He tried to stay still as Kami removed his clothes but not touching Kami proved to be a form of torture. His hands moved over Kami’s skin, making the process more awkward than it would have been but totally worth the rewards.

Naked and not ashamed, Gackt watched as Kami fell to his knees and began to lick at his already hardened length. He hadn’t expected such forwardness from the other, this was a side of Kami he didn’t usually see.

Kami’s hand wrapped around his arousal, rubbing gentle and finding all the right spots. With a moan Gackt couldn’t help but picture how Kami had become so good at this. He personally tried to avoid self-pleasure but with Kami, that clearly wasn’t the case. He couldn’t judge the other for it, not when the pleasure that practise had awarded him was so intense. He felt himself ready to explode, to cum harder than he had ever done in his life, but in that moment Kami pulled away with an enticing smile and headed for the bed.

“Come on then, take me as you’ve always wanted.” Kami challenged. For a second Gackt was almost embarrassed to have been read so easily. He did want this, had wanted it from the day they had met, but had he not been the perfect gentleman? Had he not disguised his lust well?

“As I’ve always wanted?” Gackt repeated as he approached Kami on the bed. What even was that? He’d imagined this in so many ways. Kami though was lying on his back, his legs slightly parted and he didn’t want to move him.

Retrieving some lube and coating his fingers, he began to prepare Kami with practised ease. At first he just complimented the other, but his words became dirtier as the other’s pleasure grew. There was no filter now, he described every fantasy he had ever had and each one seemed to make Kami moan all the louder.

“You wouldn’t!” Kami gasped, at a particularly detailed explanation of an act of extreme bondage. Gackt winked and pulled his fingers away.

“Not today.” He cryptically answered, let Kami keep guessing at his intentions, he suspected it may just spark a few fantasies in Kami as well. Gently he pushed his length into the other, their bodies joining and wrapping around one another like two jigsaw pieces slipping into place. For a moment they just lay there, connected and staring into each other’s eyes in wonder.

“You are mistaken,” Kami scolded him. “If you think for one minute I would ever let you do that to me.”

“All I really want is for you to be happy.” Gackt promised, as he began to move slowly into the other. Beneath him Kami moaned in pleasure, content to just be with the man he loved. This should be their happy ever after, Gackt thought, and in a way, despite the threat of Mana on the horizon, it was.

They had met the Arnanian forces deep in Arnanian territory, the rival army strategically positioned at the exit of a valley that led towards the capital. They would be funnelled onto the small path and slaughtered as they approached in small numbers. That was not how Mana was prepared to make his move.

“They knew we were coming and prepared well.” Klaha needlessly commented. His magic was going to be an asset, Mana thought, it was why he had allowed the other to convince him to give him his own unit of soldiers to help win over these lands.

“They did, but the mirror has shown us another way,” Mana reminded him. Beneath the mountains was a series of tunnels that he suspected even the Arnanians weren’t aware of. Many were blocked in places, but it wouldn’t be hard for his forces to remove them. “Half the troops are already heading through the mountain to loop around behind the Arnanians. We will use your magic to start an avalanche to make the forces back up, giving our full-frontal assault the space they need to have a fair fight.

“Of course,” Klaha agreed. The fool only cared for his mirror, Mana thought. So simple minded, so easy to predict. He had bought Klaha’s loyalty with the offer to return the mirror to him and he did not doubt that the other would do all in his power to help him. He liked men like this, with their motives open to him like a book. He could control such men. “It’ll be easy to do. Only, I should scout out the area first.”

“Do as you will, just don’t get yourself caught.” Mana said dismissively. He watched Klaha walk away and called for the spy master. Klaha was easy to read but even so, it was never smart to be too trusting. If Klaha was going so close to the enemy, then he certainly would not be going alone.

Kami rode out besides Gackt towards Altra Valley, surrounded by Arnanian forces it would be unlikely that anybody would come close enough to hurt him. Just under an hour ago, the necklace he wore had begun to glow warm and it unnerved him to think that somebody had been trying to use magic that could harm him. Had a spy got into their ranks, or was somebody scrying on him? He hated to think that such magic existed, but he was no longer the naive young man who had left Balourin weeks ago.

“When Mana finds out your alive, if he doesn’t know already, you will be the target.” Gackt warned, as he saw the waiting troops guarding the valley in the distance.

“That’s ok, he’s mine.” Kami responded coldly. He no longer had any love for the man he had once thought off as his father. Mana was a monster, who wanted to take everything from him, including a failed attempt at his life. Worse, the people of Balourin had been treated just as badly. How many Balourin men in the valley actually wanted to face them in battle? He doubted many actually believed in Mana’s cause, had it not been for the magic he now knew was used on almost everyone in Mana’s presence. Only Gackt had been immune, and hopefully the none humans that surrounded him now.

“Don’t be reckless.” Gackt warned, leaving it at that. He’d already expressed to Kami what he thought of all of this, there was no need to go into further debate.

“I won’t be reckless.” Kami promised. It was unlikely both he and Mana were going to live through this war, he could quite easily die, but he would go down fighting for what he believed in. If that meant recklessly charging his enemy, then so be it.

“I mean it.” Gackt warned, but Kami did not answer as his thoughts were already on other things.


	17. Chapter 16: A New Era

The avalanche had started the horses, many bolting the moment the rocks began to fall. The broken army ranks below darted away from the mountain as it crumbled before them. Shocked, all Kami could do was think of his survival and he ran just like everyone else. Even before the dust had settled, when the smaller rocks still fell from the mountain side, orders were being given to reform the ranks. Soldiers obeyed instantly, the volunteer forces slower to react.

He’d been separated from Gackt, Kami realised as he stepped into line but that thought was soon forgotten as he realised that Mana’s forces had advanced through the mountain pass without fear of the falling rocks. It had been magic then. If they were so powerful, what hope did they have?

A cry came from behind and Kami glanced back to see a cavalry of enemy soldiers circling around to their rear. How had they got there? Frightened he gripped his sword harder, no longer sure which half of the army he should be fighting.

“Kami!” Came the cry of Gackt’s voice, and Kami turned to find his partner heading his way. Relief filled him, though what good Gackt could do was hard to say. They were out numbered and out manoeuvred and the enemy had magic nobody here was prepared for. The men around him were thinking the same thing but Kami didn’t know how to bring up moral. Not when his own was so low.

“I’m here,” Kami needlessly confirmed. He glanced back to the mountain, where the enemy was forming its lines. No, not quite, a large section of the army was breaking away, heading to the East where they began to form as a whole new unit. Not just the men from in front, but also behind Kami realised. “What is this?”

“The worst tactics I’ve ever seen,” Gackt concluded. As they watched, the new army tied red ribbons around their helmets and onto their weapons and a single rider rode out into the no man’s land between them. “Wait, that’s Klaha? He helped me before.”  
“He’s helping now!” Kami exclaimed as Klaha approached the generals in their vanguard. “His troops have deserted Mana.”

“He must have broken the magic holding them.” Gackt realised. Moments later their general was turning the ranks onto those still behind them, as Klaha’s army approached the mountain once more. Battle ensued all around him but Kami only had one target in mind. Slipping through the troops around him, sure Gackt would be furious when he realised that he was gone, he joined Klaha’s troops as they marched on Mana.

“Kami!” Klaha exclaimed, as he noticed the prince among them. “You’ve come to help us?”

“You can’t beat Mana, he has magic and…” Kami began.

“As do I.” Klaha answered. Kami frowned at that, surprised by the answer.

“Well that’s good but I have a charm to protect me from him.” Kami retorted. It seemed enough for Klaha, though it could have been the distraction of war around them that had stopped his response. Determined, Kami fought besides the men around him, sure now that every man that they faced was loyal to Mana and would never be his ally.

The ranks hold strong but Kami slipped through as he spotted Mana quietly slipping away from his own men. The tyrant king was running away, Kami thought in disgust, as he urged his horse into a full gallop after him. Archers turned to fire at him but he rode low, avoiding the shots though many seemed to bend as they came near. Were they magic? The charm around his neck was burning hot, suggesting that they probably were.

There was no sign of Mana when he rode into the valley pass, but he had seen the other enter here and was sure that he couldn’t be far. Mana had been on foot, there was no way he could outrun Kami on the horse he rode. Slowing to a walk he scanned the valley for any signs of the man he had once thought of as his father.

At first all he saw was rocks and the occasion shrub that was somehow growing in the rocky terrain, there was nowhere to hide but somehow Mana was. Then he saw it, the rippling of the air on his left-hand side, slowly making its way up the valley. The necklace was warm, revealing the magic for what it was. He was sure without this trinket he would not have seen the disturbance in the air at all.

“Mana, I can see you, come out and talk.” Kami said, trying to keep the conflicting emotions out of his voice. Now he had found Mana and confronted him, he didn’t know what to do.

“You’re quite the survivor, aren’t you?” Mana mocked, coming into view as the cloaking spell was dropped. “Your father was easier to kill, but no matter, you won’t last long.”

“Your magic is useless here,” Kami warned, as Mana raised his hand and uttered some kind of spell. The necklace he wore became hot, almost to hot to bare, but the magic did not hurt him. The surprise was written all over Mana’s face but it took only a moment before the sword was drawn. Mana lunged, not at Kami but at the horse he rode, and his sword slipped easily into the horse’s flank.

With a sound of pure agony, the horse reared up and bolted, throwing its rider as it made its escape. Red blood glistened where the horse had stood and anger washed over Kami. To hurt an innocent creature, what was Mana thinking?

With no time to ask, Kami grabbed his sword and blocked the attack from above his head. He was a good sword’s man, but lying on his back injured from the fall he wasn’t sure how he would hold the other back. It took all his strength to prevent Mana from ending him right here. Another man perhaps would have thought to fight dirty, but not Kami, it wasn’t in his nature to do so.

A large bat swooped down from above, distracting Mana long enough for Kami to return to his feet. The bat was angry at him, Kami thought but his sword was already defending against Mana’s next blow and he had no time to wonder what Gackt was going to say about him risking his life like this.

The sounds of clashing swords seemed to fill the valley, but the longer the fight went on the more Kami found he could press the advantage. Mana’s stamina was lacking compared to his own, the sword moving slower, his thrusts lacking in accuracy. He stole the advantage, partly aware that Gackt was watching him and pleased the other did not interfere. This was his fight, his throne to reclaim, it was only right that he swung the killing blow. Only, as he disarmed the other, he found himself hesitating from delivering the final blow. He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t end this man’s life.

Quietly Gackt approached, his dagger resting against Mana’s neck but he too didn’t strike. The couple looked at each other, silently pondering on what they should do now. It had always been assumed that Mana would not survive this war but neither of them had wondered what they would do, if it were they who held Mana’s life in their hands.

“Arrest him.” Kami ordered, if only to buy himself some time. Gackt nodded, a small smile playing on his lips even as Mana mocked them both for their weakness. They weren’t killers, they didn’t have any shame in that.

An arrow flew through the air, burying itself in Mana’s back before either man could find anything to bind Mana’s hands. Surprised Kami glanced up the valley, finding that the forces of Arnania were approaching. He didn’t know who had fired that arrow and in truth he didn’t want to know. He stepped back as a second arrow flew through the air, but there was no need for caution as the archer had found the target he was after.

“Let’s go.” Gackt said, gently moving Kami out of the line of fire. The prince obeyed but never once did he take his eyes of Mana. The man had been a tyrant but he wasn’t a monster, he was just a misguided man but within this army he was sure very few saw Mana that way. He could not kill Mana but neither could he stop other’s from killing Mana for him.

“Your highness.” Klaha greeted Kami, bowing low as the prince approached. No, not a prince, he was now a king and before him were many of his people. The citizens of Balourin, those with red on their weapons, bowed low and he found himself smiling in delight. He hadn’t wanted to be king, not before, but now he would happily accept the responsibility he had been given. King Kami, it had a nice ring to it and he swore to himself in that moment that he would undo the evils that had been done. Day by day, Balourin would be restored to its former glory.

The bells rung, signalling the end of the coronation of the new king, and the crowd that had formed cheered in celebration of the dawn of this new era. Sat upon the throne, heavy crown resting on his head and the shield of the realm in his left hand, Kami smiled and rose up from where he had been sat. There would be a parade to come, as the new king walked down the crowded streets, and then a formal celebration but they were lacked the significance of the coronation itself. He was now the king of Balourin, he was sure his parents would be proud.

Heading inside, the royal treasurer took the shield to return to its place of display, for the shield was a symbol of the king’s promise to protect the kingdom and had always been present for anyone who wished to gaze upon. Mana had not kept the promise of the king, he had hurt those he had sworn to protect, but Kami hoped that he could be different.

“Your highness,” Klaha bowed as Kami passed him, the king smiled upon the wizard who now severed as the royal informant, a position Mana had changed to that of Spy Master. Klaha would use his mirror to find threats and warn him well in advance, he trusted the wizard would do his job well. “You look magnificent today.”

“He always looks magnificent,” The ambassador from Arnania corrected. “Good enough to eat in fact.”

“Your kind probably means just that.” Klaha teased. He didn’t know what Gackt was, but upon the battlefield it was clear that the tales of monsters may not be entirely false.

“Well if your king should ever disappear…” Gackt said, letting his comment trail of as no man in the room thought his words to be a threat. Ignoring the two men, Kami accepted the blessings of each of the advisors he had appointed, the smile never once leaving his face.

“How long until the parade?” Kami asked, relieved to hear that it wouldn’t be for another hour. “Then you don’t mind if Gackt and I discuss a small matter of Arnanian….”

“Don’t make excuses,” Gackt scolded, making Kami blush as he took the king by the hand and led him away from the crowds. “They know I can’t wait to eat you, why pretend?”

“Even I don’t know entirely what you mean when you make such threats.” Kami protested.

“Then allow me to show you.” Gackt said, kissing Kami with a passion and tenderness that the king had become accustomed to.

“We’ve done it, haven’t we?” Kami said as he pulled Gackt into his arms and held him close. “We’ve found our happily ever after.”

“Yes,” Gackt replied simply, “At least for now, I suspect the day of our wedding may make us wonder if this moment was happy at all. That is how delighted I will be, to have you as my husband.”

“Is that so?” Kami said. “Very well. This is only our temporary happily ever after, the real one is still to come.”

“Exactly.” Gackt said, moving to kiss Kami once more but being interrupted by a woman calling Kami’s name. With a sigh Kami let his lover go to find out what the disturbance may be. Gackt was right, this was a shadow of their true happiness, but it was more than he had ever dreamed of. You didn’t need to have everything to be happy, sometimes just getting something that you wanted was more than enough. He had love and his throne and whilst he had once wanted more, asking for it now seemed almost selfish.

“You made your choice then,” The woman said with an honest smile. Surprised, for Kami had never met this woman before, he wondered who she may be. The necklace didn’t warm up, but there was magic happening before him as the human woman became the fairy queen. “You choose true love, just as I hoped you would.”

“I did, and we will be happy,” Kami promised her. The fairy smiled and slipped a ring upon Kami’s finger. “If you ever need help from my kind, break the glass gems on this ring and we will come. That is my gift to you, to mark this happy day.”

“You’ve given me enough already!” Kami protested but the fairy was vanishing from sight and did not respond. Grinning all the more, he turned to find Gackt waiting and hurried back to his one true love. He doubted he would need to use this ring, not with Gackt by his side, but just in case he would keep the fairy gifts close.

“Flora blesses us then,” Gackt said, as he pulled Kami into his arms once more. “As she should.”

“As everyone should.” Kami confirmed, giving Gackt another kiss. There were those out there who thought a love like there’s to be a sin but he would not listen to their hate filled words. This was his life and he would live it as he desired, which just happened to be with Gackt by his side. “I think we should…” Gackt began, just as Kami was called away to prepare for the parade. Maybe next time, the prince thought as he followed the king. He had waited for Kami’s love long enough. He could wait for his company just a little bit longer. If anyone was worth waiting for, it was King Kami the First.


End file.
